One Month Later
by whiteskull
Summary: The clock started turning for Moose and Camille's relationship after the World Jam. Through a lovely and butterflies-in-my-stomach inducing series of oneshots, we watch the two grow as a couple years before their big move to LA. #Moosille
1. Chapter 1

Moose was sitting just outside Camille's classroom, staring at nothing, listening to an Arctic Monkeys playlist against the wall. His signature red plaid shirt went well with his grey beanie, she thought. To top it all off, he was wearing his favorite Nike sneakers that Luke gave him over a month ago. He was holding on to his backpack which was slumped over his shoulder while his other hand was...

Well, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Moose?" she said as she briskly walked towards him. She pretended to not notice how he quickly hid the flowers behind his back as he stood up. "Hey Chameleon," he said, smiling big as he pulled his white earphones down and gently kissed her cheek. "How was class?"

She sighed heavily. "It was alright I guess." Her shoulders drop in exhaustion. Psychology was surprisingly wearing her out despite the extreme lack of physical work they do. "You seem a little stressed out, Cam," he said. "Good thing I have just the thing to cheer you up a bit." He slid the flowers between them. "These are for you, m'lady." He curtsied and flamboyantly bowed down in front of her, which made her giggle. She smiled wide as she took them, smelling the sweet scent.

The excessive gifts have been coming since the last few weeks. The chocolates, flowers, teddy bears, the necklaces, and more flowers... Basically, Moose has given her every typical romantic movie gift in the book. It's making her feel more guilty than thankful at this point.

"Wow, Moose. Thank you." She smiled and tiptoed to meet her lips with his cheek. "That all I get?" Moose said, shrugging and raising both his hands in mock disbelief. Camille laughed and playfully punched his chest. "Maybe next time."

"I'll count on that, then." He offered his arm as she locked hers in the inside of his elbow. "You don't have to buy me all these things you know."

"But I thought you loved them?"

"I mean I do, I appreciate the effort, but it's not exactly necessary, Moose. Or practical, either."

He shrugged nonchalantly, pulled a sly face. "Well... Okay. I'll just buy a giant box of pizza next time. We'll eat all the stress away!" He shook his head, making his curls shake. She gasps, her eyes widening. "You'd really do that? Oh my god, yes please." He laughed. "Sure. Hey, you wanna take a walk in the park? I don't have any more classes. Do you?"

"I don't. We're still getting that pizza, though, right?"

After a long walk, they ended up sitting at a bench that's farther away from the crowds in Washington Square Park. Camille, stroking the petals of her daisies, rested her head on his shoulder as he automatically put his arm around her. They sat in silence, observing the movement of the area. The park was, as usual, packed with performers, vendors, students, children, and just about every type of person in the city. The scent of grilled deli was under everyone's noses and the air of good vibes were evident over the city noise. Not too far from them were street dancers having a great time dancing to a Black Eyed Peas song through a blaring boom box. It reminded Moose of his first day in NYU—the same day that he was introduced to the dance scene in New York through an unexpected battle with Kid Darkness of the Samurai. He remembered feeling so frazzled. _What was I supposed to do?_ The moment he packed his bags, he promised himself and his family that he would put his dancing to an end for good. Then just as he stepped foot on his fresh start, he was put on the spot literally by being shoved into a showdown he didn't exactly want to be a part of. He chuckled at the memory.

"What?" Camille looked up, smiling at him.

"Nothing," he said. "I just remembered something, you know, during the orientation? I danced right here in this park that day. It was crazy."

She grinned. "It seems like years ago, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," he said, scrunching his nose. "Crazy. 16 year old me never would have guessed any of that would happen."

She snorted lightly. "Wow, I guess that says the same about you and me, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

She playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You hardly ever noticed my growing love for you for _years_. Seriously."

He looked appalled, incredulous almost, yet she could see right through his pretentious act. "Wh–in my defense—"

She threw her head back laughing at him, making several people look.

He glared at her, his lips breaking into a smile. "Whatever."

"What? You started it," she said, gently hitting his stomach with her elbow. He stuck his tongue at her like a little kid while she continued to laugh heartily at their ridiculousness. _He may not have realized it sooner_, she thought. _But it was worth the wait anyway._

It was a few hours after dinner when they returned to the dorms where the halls were dead silent. It was a Saturday, which meant everyone was out in the city and enjoying the night. They were pretty much the only people in the building except for a maybe a few students who preferred to stay in. To that, Moose didn't complain _at all_.

Camille's room was small, but it was enough to fit everything she needs. She even managed to decorate and personalize the place, which not everybody did because the dorms basically were there just so that they'd have a room to sleep in. The students didn't exactly stay in the dorms for hours on end—that's what University is for.

On the walls were photos, photos, and more photos. A lot of them consisted of snapshots of old friends and family. A few of her favorites are the ones with Tyler, her brother, and her in it and also, who could forget, the ones with her and Moose which are evolving from high school to present.

"This place is a scrapbook," he said, his eyes scanning the walls, doing a 360.

"It might as well be. Doesn't it feel alive?"

"That hair does too, though," he said, pointing out a picture of him in high school where his hair was a lot longer. "Man, who let me grow it out like that?" He laughs, taking a closer look.

She tilts her head to the side. "I think it's cute. I've always wanted curly hair, you know." He longingly looks at her and tucks her reddish brown hair behind her ear. "Your hair's perfect, Cam." She smiles, facing him. He rests his hand on the curve of her neck, stroking the skin below her cheek with his thumb. He leans down and slowly meets her lips with his and lingers there. She breathes in. Her hands crawl behind his neck and reaches for his soft curls. He smiles in the kiss and pulls away as he feels her pulling his beanie down, burying her hands in his chocolate brown locks. She then realizes what she's done and laughs. She drops her hands to his shoulders. "Sorry."

"S'alright. There'll be plenty of that in a few years." He winks.

She scoffs and raises her eyebrows. "And when's that gonna happen?"

"When we'll be living together."

She was surprised by the seriousness in his tone. "What?"

"Huh? I mean, aren't we gonna live together once we graduate?"

She slid her palms farther down his chest and didn't make a sound, which made him clap his hand on his mouth in embarrassment. "Oh man, did I just freak you out? I'm sorry, I prob'bly shouldn't have said that..." He nervously rubbed his nape. It was a gesture he did when he felt uncomfortable, and she saw right through him.

She broke out into a genuine smile. "No. I just never thought that you've been thinking about that stuff. I meant the living together after graduation part." She stared at him, as if thinking deeply. "It's just that we're still in the first stages of our relationship and nothing's really certain yet, you know?" She sighed. "I mean, look, you were my bestest friend and... Now you're my boyfriend. That's a pretty huge change and I don't think we'd ever imagined that that would happen to us."

"Yeah, I get that. Anything can happen." Despite her uncertainty, his eyes smiled right into her bright hazel ones. "But you know what's a little strange? For once I've a great feeling about something, Cam. This is something that I actually feel sure about. This time there's no thinking twice. I've made a lot of half-hearted decisions—and you know that. But I feel like this "us"—the one that's together right this moment—is extremely right."

Her eyes started to water. It's all true what she said. Never in a million years did she think that he would feel the same way she did. It was almost surreal. The boy she's been both confiding in and hiding her feelings from for years is saying these things to her.

"ImeanIdon'tknowhowyoufeelboutthatbutlike—"

She cuts him off by covering his mouth with hers, her hands cupping the sides of his neck. He's caught off guard, but he manages to rest his hands on the small of her waist, pulling her close. She pulls away from his soft lips and gently strokes the illuminated bridge of his nose. She rests her face between his shoulder and the crook of his neck, and breathes in his familiar scent.

"I know, Moose. I really look forward to graduating."


	2. Chapter 2

KRRRRIIIINGGGGGG!

Moose woke up to the piercing sound of an alarm clock, which annoyingly enough, was disturbing his Sunday snoozefest. After the gruesome rehearsals brought by the World Jam for months, he's made it a point to sleep in whenever he could. Plus, he wasn't just playing with electrical wires in the classroom now. He's been studying dance now, too, which made life for him a little more complicated. His schedule was so packed that he'd be happy to get six hours of sleep compared to the usual four to five. He wasn't complaining, though. Not everybody got to study what they're a hundred percent passionate about. He got real lucky.

As he combs his curls out of his eyes, he sees the yellow walls covered in pictures when he realizes that he wasn't in the comfort of his own room. He scrunched his forehead and roughly rubbed his eyes. His plaid shirt was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was in his worn grey undershirt he's had forever. Even his socks were missing. He wondered where they went, then his mind went places. He couldn't exactly recall what happened the night before. _I didn't drink alcohol, did I? Am I hungover right now, is this how it feels like? Oh god._ The sheets rustled as he stretched his arm out to turn off the evil machine that is the alarm clock when he sees that a small body was huddled under his arm. Camille was sleeping soundly and close against his chest. He could practically feel her heavily breathing up and down. Her light caramel colored hair was peeking out from under the blanket, which Moose pulled down a bit. He smiled at the sight. _How could I have not seen this girl sooner? Stupid Moose._ He gently touched her tiny nose, then kissed her forehead. He quickly pulled away, taken aback by the contact. He placed the back of his hand to her forehead and felt her skin burning.

"Cam?" She didn't respond. If Moose knew something that probably only he knew, it's that Camille could sleep through a storm. How does he know that? Great question;that'll be another story. "Cam, wake up." He realized she wasn't opening her eyes anytime soon, so he carefully moved his arm away so as not to disturb her slumber and tiptoed to the tiny kitchen of her dorm room. He poured some hot water into a mug and plopped a tea bag into it. He placed the cup on Camille's bedside table and sat beside her, trying to wake her up again. "Cam," he whispered, gently nudging her shoulder. He brushed the stray strands of hair away from her face when she finally opened her eyes. She winced at the bright morning light, giving her an abrupt headache. He then automatically ran to close the curtains, and the small room dimmed instantly. "Good morning, my little Chameleon," he said. She smiled, then her eyes widened as she rapidly sat up straight. "Oh my god, what time is it?"

"Dude, relax. It's a Sunday. Lie back down."

She exhaled, clearly relieved. He assisted her, making her lean back against the headboard. "Plus, you're burning up. Like, seriously burning up."

"What?" She croaked.

"You have a fever. And I made you some tea."

"I never get sick." She stared at him. "I can't be sick." She couldn't believe it. Another thing that Moose knew about her is that Camille has the immune system of a bull. He, on the other hand, was the total opposite. He was somehow always sick as a child, so he grew up with his mom always making some kind of remedy for him. He himself knew that he was very well informed with those things—you might as well call him instead of the nurse if you have the common flu—but he wasn't gonna admit that to anyone. Nope, never.

"Well guess what, you are." He took the cup of tea and placed it near her lips, urging her to drink. "It'll make you feel better."

To her surprise, it did make her feel better. It hurt to swallow, but at least her throat wasn't dry anymore. She put her palm to her head, and only then did she truly believe him. She physically could not let her hand sit there for more than five seconds or else her hand would catch fire. Well, that's what it felt like to her, anyway. She groaned, sliding back into the covers. "You probably got it from the park yesterday," he said, walking to the sink with a towel in his hand. He soaked it in cold water and roughly squeezed it dry. She gaped and watched him work like a true professional. "Moose, what are you doing?" He sat beside her. "Just trust me, alright?" He placed the cool, damp towel on her forehead, and she instantly cooled off a little. She sighed. "Thank you," she said, smiling. "I must admit. I'm impressed by your medical skills. You could almost pass for a doctor," she teased. She giggled as she imagined Moose in a white coat with a stethoscope in hand, tending to an elderly. Hilariously enough, his long brown curls are still sitting on his head. "I can totally see it."

"My dad would be so proud," he chuckled. "Should I get some medicine?" He asked, adjusting the wet towel. "Maybe later, Moose. Can you please just keep me company for a while? And then you can go." She dunked her head under the sheets. "Your shirt is in the closet. So are your shoes," she said, her voice barely audible. For a second, he thought of the idea of him sleeping and Camille taking off his shirt last night, but then he quickly shut those thoughts away and locked them in a vault. _What was that about? _

He scoffed. "Are you kicking me out already? No way, I'm staying here 'til you get better." He plopped himself onto the bed, making the mattress jolt up and down. She pulled the blanket down, her eyes barely open. "Moose, thank you for taking care of me but I can't let you ruin your Sunday," she said, her words slurring. "And aren't you going to lunch with the Pirates? Whose birthday again?"

"Yeah, the twins. But I'm not going anymore." He dug through his pockets for his phone then called Jacob's number. "Hey Jacob! Yeah, yeah... Listen, I can't go to lunch today. Camille's sick and you know, I can't just leave her here. Yeah, sure. Thanks, man. And tell the twins I love them! " He hung up the phone and tossed it on the table. He smirked. "The Moose is now officially at your service," he piped, bowing his head down like a butler. She chuckled lightly. "You know the Pirates are gonna hate me now, right? They're gonna think I'm hogging you all the time."

"Are you kidding? They love you! Do you realize how happy they were when I broke the news that we were finally dating?"

She laughed. "Really?"

"Yes, really! And let's not even start with my mom. She cried like we were getting married." Camille threw her head back, bursting in laughter.

"Ugh. But still. I'm slowly turning into a clingy girlfriend."

He pulled a face, nodding. "Wellll... Oww!" The girl could seriously throw a punch. "Hey, I was just kidding." She smiled and shook her head.

They ended up ordering Chinese food for lunch and ate right on the bed while watching cartoons. A little while ago, Moose had quickly snuck into his room and brought his collection of animated movies to Camille's. He popped in The Lion King because he knew it was her childhood favorite. She was wrapped in blankets while he snuggled a pillow beside her, making himself comfortable. Halfway into the movie, Camille gets drowsy again and buries herself into the bed. Even Simba couldn't make her feel better. Moose frowned. "You never get through my cartoons." He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "Hey Cam," he said. "What?" She mumbled. "If the TV was on right now, what would I be watching?"

"I don't know," she grumbled.

"C'mon, just answer it."

"Some cartoons, I dunno."

He shrugged. "Fair enough. If we're eating at a restaurant, what kind of dressing would I get on my salad?"

She peeked through her warm blanket. "What are you talking about? You especially _hate_ salad."

"Correct! Now, what shoe size do I wear?"

"Okay, what kind of game is this?"

"It's the Boyfriend Tag!" He said over-excitedly. "Or Girlfriend Tag. Not really sure."

"You're clearly bored now. You can go, Moose, honestly. I'll be fine."

"Now what kind of boyfriend would that make me?" He raised his eyebrows expressively.

"The kind who will let me sleep in peace!" She chuckled, pushing him off the bed.

"Chameleon, I'll feed you your dinner if I have to. I'm not kidding."

"I know you're not. That's why you gotta leave now, before you catch whatever I have."

"I'd gladly take that risk."

"Fine. We might as well make out then."

His eyes widens as he smirks. "I'd really like that."

She playfully slaps his arm, making his body sway to the side. "Oh my gosh, Moose, I was joking!"

"I don't joke around with kissing, though."

"Oh gosh. Don't. Just, no." She blushes, warming up her slightly paled face as she hides underneath the covers.

"Fiiiiiine," he whines, sluggishly standing up. "I'm gonna get your medicine now. Need anything else, your highness?"

"No, thank you, peasant."

"O-kay," he chimed. He almost stepped out the door when he takes a step back. "Forgot something." He kneeled down beside the bed. "Cam," he whispered.

She looked over her shoulder when Moose, as quick as lightning, snuck a kiss on her lips. "Wh—"

"Ha!"

"You better get yourself some medicine as well!" She hollered at him just before he could leave the room.

"I will, don't worry!"


	3. Chapter 3

Moose ranted as he expressively raised his palms up. "Okay, first of all, Iron Man has metal suits. And second of all, he has _metal suits_." Camille glared coldly at him. "Iron Man is clearly just a replica of Batman in terms of concept. He's been around since the 30's for crying out loud."

"Well it's not the 30's now, is it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that Batman is definitely more famous worldwide. You could ask a homeless man who Batman is and he would definitely know."

"Fine. But Iron Man's still better," he confidently claimed and pointed a finger at her face.

"Whatever, Moose."

Through the years, Camille's had her fair share of Marvel–DC debates with him once in a while. It was because he grew up reading graphic novels, and she knew very well how much he loved them. There were numerous times in high school when she'd catch him hiding his comics behind an Economics book. "Moose, I'm trying to help you here!" She would say in a scolding manner. Then the librarian would shush her and Moose would annoyingly stifle a laugh. "Yeah Cam, shushhhh..."

It wasn't like she found the debates annoying, though they became a constant reminder that he is actually 10.

They strut out the Engineering building when Moose spots a very familiar face sitting on the plastic benches in front of the security desk. Her bangs were covering her eyes, making her unrecognizable although the brown waves that were framing her prominent cheekbones instantly gave it away. He scrunches his forehead and walks towards the person.

"Is that _Natalie_?"

"Moose!" Natalie briskly walked towards them and gave Moose a bear hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you."

"What's up?" He chimes, letting go of her. Camille peeks from behind him. "You know Camille, right Nat?"

"Of course!" She says, smiling brightly at Camille. "Sooo, how's the new couple doing?"

Camille just laughs and blushes at the comment. For some reason, the word 'couple' made her strangely uncomfortable. "Oh, you know..." Moose noticed her suddenly feel nervous, so he put his arm around her and interjected into the conversation. "We're doing awesome, thank you," he sassed. Camille shook her head and Natalie just smiled. "So what are you doing here? Where's Luke?" Camille asked.

"He's actually in New York right now, too. But he's been really busy."

"What's that scoundrel up to now?" Moose folded his arms together and curiously raised his eyebrows.

"Remember his film about the vault? Well, the film school people liked it so much that they decided to make some calls to a few producers... and voila, his film is soon going to be released worldwide."

"What? No way! That's so awesome. But why am I hearing this just now?"

"It's just that Luke decided that he didn't want to tell the Pirates until there's an official release date. You know him. He didn't want to make the guys get excited over nothing."

"So when can we see it?" Camille asked.

"The premiere's on Saturday. And the two of you have to be there. The Pirates are gonna be there, too."

"Saturday? That's only four days from now," Camille fretted.

"Wait, you mean a real premiere? Like red carpets and stuff?" He scoffed. "I don't think the Pirates would agree with that."

"Well, they are the 'actors' of the movie, so to speak. Plus Luke would really love it if we were complete as a family on his special day."

He nodded in approval. "Alright then, we'll be there. Won't we, Camille?"

"You do know what this means, right?" She says, tugging on his blue hoodie. 'You better get your suit ready."

_Four days later_

Moose grunted in frustration as he tied the laces of his iconic World Jam light up sneakers that he personally designed the LED lights of. He was pretty proud of it, not gonna lie, and it definitely held a special place in his heart. _Stupid laces though._ When he finally finished tying them up, he turned on the switches just above the soles behind his shoes, and the bulbs started to dance in bluish white lights. He was running late already, and he still had to fix his hair to make it at least somehow presentable. He glanced at his mirror and ruffled his curls a little. He grumbled. "Screw it." He grabbed his black jacket and slammed his door shut.

He briskly walked to Camille's room, checking the time on his Blackberry phone. In a matter of minutes, he arrived at her door and knocked a melody that Camille recognized as Moose's personal knock. She thought that it worked as kind of a custom ringtone. Camille closed the cap of her vanilla perfume, the one that Moose especially loved, and placed it back on her dresser. She walked to the door, making sure not to trip over herself, and opened it. Moose was wearing a white long sleeved shirt that he folded up to his forearms together with a comfy pair of dark black jeans he loved. He didn't want the black slacks, so he and Camille compromised and agreed that he would at least wear the black suit which he was clutching in his hand. Meanwhile, Camille was in a cerulean blue strapless dress that dropped several inches above her knees. It had ruffles from the neckline down to the hem, and the bodice and skirt was separated by a thin black line. She ended up being a little tall due to the four-inch nude pumps that visually elongated her legs, but Moose was still several inches taller. _It's just the perfect height_, she thought. _Thank god_. Her caramel hair was in a loose bun, with a few wavy strands left down to frame her face. Her makeup was done very lightly—it made her features pop out, which made Moose wonder if she had her makeup done by a professional. But knowing Camille and her repulsion towards beauty salons, he concluded that she definitely did it on her own. She looked beautiful. Moose gaped at her for a few seconds, taking her in from head to toe. It made her feel a little strange, in a butterflies in my stomach kind of way. "What?" She chuckled nervously. He grinned. "You look gorgeous, Cam." She smiled, looking down at her feet and making her silver hoop earrings jingle. He shrugged. "I know you don't like it when I say mushy stuff, but someone had to say it." The comment made her smile. She glanced towards his shoes and giggled.

"You don't like it?"

"I do actually. I just thought that the Pirates would definitely recognize you in those, despite the fancy suit and all."

"They better though! There's only one pair of these in the world," he crowed while doing the moonwalk. It made the light bulbs go crazy. Then, he offered her his arm like a gentleman. "Shall we, m'lady?"

They arrived at the venue in half an hour. The place was already packed with photographers and other fancy people they didn't recognize. "What are we supposed to do now?" He whispered to her ear. He got distracted by the smell of the familiar perfume on her neck. "You smell like ice cream." Camille look at him incredulously. "Now's not really the time for that, Moose. Why don't you call Natalie?" He reached for his phone in his pocket when he heard a familiar deep voice.

"Hey, Moose!" Luke, in a light grey suit, jogged towards them and gave the kid a hug. "Luke! It's been too long, man," he said.

"I know. But hey, you better go on the red carpet. We've been waiting for you two."

Camille and Moose looked at each other cluelessly when a man called them out. "Hey, Luke! Moose, Camille, over here!" A man in black, holding a huge camera gestured them to move closer together. "Say cheese," he said as the flash went off, blinding Moose's eyes. Then, another one yelled and called their names. "Here, Camille!" Flashes went off, and soon enough, all they could see were white lights. "O-kayyy..." Moose scrunched his forehead. "Why do they know our names?" Camille asked. "You are in the movie, after all," Luke said. "I heard that the critiques especially liked you two. You know, as a couple." This made Moose and Camille slightly drop their jaws. "Really? That's cool, I guess," Camille said hesitantly. She wondered how the critiques figured it out. They weren't even dating that time. Moose shrugged. "We do look good together," he smirked, placing his hand around Camille's waist as she laughed.

They went inside the theatre and saw that the front rows were occupied by the "actors" themselves. Natalie and Luke were, of course, seated beside each other. Then there was Jacob, Anala, Jason, the Santiago twins, the Ticks, and more. Even Kido, Hair, Cable, and a few of the MSA crew were there. Seated behind them were movie critiques, school administrators, and more important people they didn't know. He and Camille decided to sit farther back, since the place was quite full. After Luke's short speech that gained a lot of hoots and chants from the audience, the movie finally started.

_**Why do you love to dance?**_

One by one, the familiar Pirates' faces appeared on the screen. It felt strange hearing them tell their backstories hidden underneath their dance moves. It didn't seem real because they all turned into completely different people on the dance floor. The variety of rehearsal footages, which gave the dancers surges of nostalgia, went perfectly with the narrations. Amazingly enough, Luke even managed to get clips from the World Jam rehearsals. _We must have been so into it that we didn't even notice the camera rolling_, Moose thought. Then suddenly, there came a clip of Camille and Moose dancing silly and goofing off together. The impromptu routine ended after Moose twirled Camille into his arms, embracing her tightly. This earned a chorus of awww's from the audience which made Camille blush furiously. Moose chuckled, tightened his hold around Camille, and kissed her temple. She slid down the chair and rested her head on his chest. He smiled down at her. "Look at us. Doesn't it feel like prom night? Me in a suit, you in your pretty dress," he said.

"I guess," she chuckled. "It would have been great if we actually went to prom together though."

"Well, it did almost happen if it wasn't for... Other people," he mumbled.

She sighed heavily. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"What if we realized things sooner?" She paused briefly. "Do you think things would have been different if we became a thing years before?"

He became silent for a while and got distracted by the rhythm of her breaths. She nearly dropped the question when he carefully took her hand with his free one, massaging her knuckles and the inside of her thumb. "Honestly? I think things happened for a reason. It's almost like we were brought together for a greater purpose, you know?" He quickly added, "And I'm not just saying that." He intertwined his slender fingers into her smooth, shorter ones. "Just think about it. I was so lost in the beginning of the year. And who was there to help me get back? You were."

_**Born From A Boom Box.**_

_**A Film by Luke Katcher.**_

When the movie ended, everyone clapped and congratulated Luke on the way out. The place was incredibly happy, but the smiles were definitely more evident on everyone's faces when they found a photobooth where you could hold up a whiteboard sign that said _I Love To Dance Because_. The twins took pictures with the added words _it sets us free_. The great thing was that it would print right out just like a polaroid. Camille smiled in amazement and said, "That's so cool! I really want one."

"C'mon then!" Moose grabbed her arm and practically dragged her to the photobooth. He took the board and scribbled on it with a blue marker, covering the writings with his free arm to make sure that Camille couldn't read what he wrote. "C'mere, Cam," he said, pulling her close in front of the camera. He held the board on his chest and put his arm around Camille. _Click_. Then, he pointed a finger at her as she made a face, put her hands up and raised her shoulders. _Click_. And lastly, he wrapped his arm around her waist then kissed her cheek as she laughed. _Click_.

As soon as the photo printed out, Moose gave it to her. "Here you go. This is gonna look so sick on your wall," he said. Camille smiled at the adorable little collage. "Oh, Moose," she quavered as she read the handwritten phrase he wrote on the whiteboard.

_I Love To Dance Because she's my dance partner. _

The Pirates who saw the scene happen through the monitor outside immediately awwwed at the sweetness of the two. "You guys are too cute," Anala said. Some of the guys made choking sounds, saying that they've swallowed too much sugar. Camille burst out laughing and so did Moose. "Whatever, guys."

"Seriously Moose, you gotta stop this. You're making us boys look bad!" Luke exclaimed.

"Maybe you should take notes from him then," Natalie teased. The Pirates _oohhh_'ed at the comment.

Camille hugged Moose tightly. "Thank you. That was really sweet of you," she said into his ear. "It's only the truth," he shrugged. She faced him, smiling. "This is going to look really good in my room. Thank you again," she said and pressed her lips onto his. "You're very welcome then, Cam."


	4. Chapter 4

Moose closed the door as he stepped onto his and Camille's modern LA apartment. He puts his car keys in a silver bowl on a tabletop and took off his jacket, revealing his defined tan biceps under a grey sleeveless tank. "Cam, I'm home," he called. He walked to the small kitchen where he saw Camille, in a tank top, sweatpants and her husband's flannel shirt, chopping some cabbages. He kissed her temple. "Missed me?" She smiled at him. "In fact, I did, babe," she said, pecking his lips. "What's for dinner?" He played with the baby carrots lying on the kitchen counter. "Just salad," she said. He clapped his hands together excitedly. "My favorite! Awesome." Camille sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I can't whip you up something else. I wasn't able to go grocery shopping today."

"Hey, it's totally fine. Like I said, it's my favorite," he said sincerely.

"I fell asleep for five hours this afternoon. It was terrible. Then the baby started crying and I wasn't there to comfort him and it was so bad..."

He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back up and down. "Hey, it's okay, Cam. You get tired too. Just relax and you—" He froze and stared at her. "Waita minute, did you just say _baby_?"

"The baby..." Camille furrowed her brows at him, as if jogging his memory. "Daxton? The two-year-old?"

As though he just casually forgets on a daily basis that he has a kid , he hits his head with his hand in realization. "Oh yeah, Daxton! Duh." Then, as if on cue, the little hazel-eyed, curly-haired boy comes out of the bedroom. Turn Down For What started playing loudly out of nowhere and the kid started breakdancing wildly like a pro. His hair flipped as he did air flares around the living room and spun on the top of his bushy, tiny head. Then, as the room dimmed into colorful strobe lights, a little girl who looked exactly like the boy swaggered into the spotlight, and the two children did a perfectly synchronized routine to a modern electronic track.

"What the—" Moose sat up straight on his bed. He pressed his hands on his eyelids, waiting for his sharp headache to subside. He ruffled his head full of curls and quickly rolled off his bed, grabbing his PJ pants and left for the door.

Completely forgetting his footwear, he quickly jogged to Camille's dorm room and knocked as if his life depended on it.

Camille pulled down her covers, groaning. She looked at her alarm clock. It was 2:49 AM. _Who the hell is knocking at three in the morning?_ She slipped on her house slippers and grumpily opened the door. "What are y—" she rants absently when she sees that Moose, in his white sleep shirt and green checkered pants, was at the door like a frightened puppy. She dropped her shoulders. "Moose, what are you doing?"

He gawked. "I... Don't know actually."

Camille was clearly furious at being aimlessly woken up in the middle of the night. To his surprise, she still managed to look good whilst sleeping. She was wearing a loose pair of black harem pants and a flattering shirt that exposed her midriff. With her hair in a casual braid, he thought that she looked like she was going to a dance rehearsal. He looked left and right, checking the inactivity of the hallways. "Can I stay here?"

Camille scooted to the side of her bed as Moose hugged a pillow to his chest. She leanedback, yawning. "So you're saying that in your dream, we're married in LA with bboy and bgirl twins?" She raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "Interesting. Wanna talk about it?" She said, almost sarcastically. She was dead tired and just wanted to go back to sleep.

"You don't understand Cam, it was really creepy." He quickly added, "Not the married part, no. I meant the babies. Just imagine tiny underdeveloped humans dancing to Lil Jon. Oh god." She laughed as she pulled the covers up for him. "Okay, I get it," she said, taking the pillow from him and placing it behind his head. "We better get some sleep now, though. We'll need it." She moved closer to him, placed her arm on his stomach and rested her head on his firm chest. She instantly shut her eyes, while he remained in a shocked state, zoning out. _Mrs. Camille Gage Alexander_, he thought. _Daxton Louis Alexander. Daxton Michael Alexander? Michael Daxton Alexander. Michael Jackson Alexander!_ He wrinkled his forehead. _Hmm_.

"What are you thinking?" Camille whispered, looking up. "Moose?"

"Oh. What?"

"I said, what are you thinking?"

His cheeks heated up. "No, nothing."

"Come on. It's not nothing if you're still awake."

"I think you'd rather not know..." He mumbled in embarrassment.

She slightly raised her brows, wondering what it could be. Then, remembering that it was three in the morning—and god knows what's going on in his head—, she decided to let it go. "You know what? I think you're right." She snuggled into him, making herself comfortable. He sighed and slid down the bed, facing her. He started to play with the smooth caramel locks in front of her face, amused by its continuously straight texture compared to his unpredictably curly ones. With her eyes closed, she mumbled. "You like my hair?"

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah."

She took his chin in her hands, craned her neck towards his lips and softly kissed him there. "Go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Camille? You in there? Camille!" Kristen impatiently folded her arms and sighed. "I'm coming in 'kay?" She barged into the room to find her close friend wrapped in her blanket and comfortably sleeping in. "Wake up already!" Kristen vigorously shook her as she pulled down the covers.

"Ca—ohmygod!"

She screamed in surprise, not by seeing Camille's morning appearance, but by the sight of a sprawled-on-top-of-Camille Moose. She jumped back in shock as Camille opened her eyes wide, also startled by the sight of her friend standing in front of her. "Oh. Hey Kristen," Moose said while rubbing his eyes and scrunching his tall nose, moving away from Camille. "Kristen's here, Cam," he said, poking her sides. "I can see that, Moose," she rolled her eyes, sitting up. Kristen gasped, her eyes enlarged. "Did you guys—"

"No! Absolutely not," Camille, looking down at her still intact crop top, responded immediately after getting the hint. Moose, propping himself up on his elbow, smirked and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that, Kristen?"

"Ugh." She made gagging noises and instantly walked out of the room as she loudly slammed the door shut. Moose burst out laughing as Camille glared coldly. "Really Moose?"

"I'm sorry," he chuckled.

"I can't believe I forgot to lock the door last night," she muttered to herself, getting up.

"Hey, it's not like we actually did anything. It's all good. It's just Kristen."

"'It's all good'? _Really_? What the hell were you thinking?"

"What? Please don't get mad, Cam," he said, following her as she stomped her way to the makeshift kitchen.

"I'm not mad," she snapped, her back facing him.

He raised his hands defensively. "Okayokay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I promise, this will be the last time I'm sleeping over. That okay?"

She chugged a whole glass of cold water. She didn't respond, her back still facing him. "Oh, c'mon Cam," he drawls, embracing her from the back, his chin resting on the curve of her neck. His long arms were wrapped around her bare stomach. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Pretty pleeeeeeeaaaase..." He swayed her from side to side. She rolled her eyes.

"Knowing you, you'll probably come back like a little kid again tomorrow night."

"_Persistence_, Cam." He smiled. "I love that you know me so well."

"I just don't want people getting the wrong idea."

He paused. "You know you're more than that, right?" He gripped her shoulders, turning her around to face him. "Plus, since when did we care about what they said?"

She smiled. He was right. It's not like anyone meddled between them, but they generally didn't mind what other people had to say whether it be positive or not.

Like a fragile doll, he carefully cupped her face in his hands. "You know I love you, right?"

"I know," she said. "And I love you too." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he breathed in her comforting scent. _Oh my god, I love her_.

"You better go get dressed. We're running late already."

* * *

_Thank you for the nice comments! I appreciate them more than you guys will ever know:) I hope you liked this more intimate side of Moosille. It's a bit different from the usual fluffier stuff, but it's not too drastic, right? Also, I hope you guys love the happier moments because it's just not in me to give this beautiful couple problems in their relationship. _

_This is not the last of this series, though. Look out for more chapters to come _❤️ _Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Yo, it's your boy Moose! Leave a message after the beep, aiight?_

They hardly saw each other that day. She has been trying to call Moose five times already, and all she's been hearing is his gangster street talk on repeat. It was a Friday, which meant that the two of them could spend time together without the time pressure. Sure, they saw each other at lunch and sometimes at the end of the day, but it doesn't compare to the weekends where they basically had sleepovers together. Today was weird especially that they didn't even bump into each other in the hallways in between classes. She usually understood, though, since he is a double major. But the fact that it was the end of the school week—and he wasn't answering her calls—unnerved her a little. _Where is that guy?_ She dropped her phone in her tote bag in defeat and decided to walk to the dorms alone. She exits the building just when she sees a group of dance students in dance-appropriate outfits on their way out as well. She recognized some of them as Moose's classmates, but to her dismay, he wasn't with them. She jogged towards the bunch. "Hey, Mike!" The tall, blonde guy who was introduced to her a few weeks before turned around. The others looked with blank faces. "Oh, hey. Camille, right?" His face lit up in recognition. "Yeah," she paused. "So um, Mike, have you seen Moose anywhere?"

His eyes widened, as if remembering something. "Yeah, he's in studio 4 right now working his butt off. But mostly rolling on the floor and grunting in frustration. The usual," he shrugged. She laughed as she imagined Moose rolling in dirt like a chinchilla. _He does look like a chinchilla with that cute face and furry hair_, she thought. Now that he mentioned it, she did recall Moose saying something about a dance project. "Oh, thanks a lot," she said, smiling sweetly. "I gotta go."

"No problem. It looked like he needed you there, anyway."

The sounds of Camille's shoes echoed through the halls as she strolled around the dance building looking for studio 4. The building was silent, compared to the usual riot of students dancing to modern tracks and classical ballet music in the mornings. _Everybody must have left already_, she concluded. She felt alive as she breathed in the air. It reminded her of her ballet days, which unfortunately ended a long time ago. Once hip hop was introduced to her by her older brother, she instantly became intrigued by its free spirit. She loved ballet, but to her, it didn't compare to the feeling of exhilaration after dancing to a really good, liberating track.

She knew she found the studio when she heard Happy Little Pill by Troye Sivan reverberating through the shiny floors. She peeked at the door and saw Moose in his hoodie and shorts gliding in front of a huge mirror that covered a whole wall. He popped his muscles to the beat effortlessly like he knew the song by heart. It was like he was completely hypnotized.

_Oh blazed eyes, empty hearts_

_Buying happy from shopping carts_

_Nothing but time to kill_

_Sipping life from bottles_

_Tight skin, bodyguards_

_Gucci down the boulevard_

_Cocaine dollar bills and_

_My happy little pill_

She watched as he closed his eyes, memorizing every step. In her eyes, he looked graceful in his own way. He was in another place, and she wanted to see it.

_Take me away_

_Dry my eyes, bring color to my skies_

_My sweet little pill_

_Take my hunger_

_But within, numb my skin_

Moose made a loud sound as he dropped to the floor with his back lying flat on the ground. He was panting, catching his breath with his cap covering his glowing face.

"So this is what you've been doing all day?" She walked towards him, her steps echoing. She squat beside him. He quickly grabbed his silver metallic hat off his face. "Cam! Thank god." He sat up to give her a hug when he realized that he was covered in sweat and stepped back. She smiled. "Thank you for your consideration," she teased.

"What are you doing here?" His intense features flipped into a wide smile.

She shrugged, smiling. "Checking on my boyfriend, I guess."

_Boyfriend_. _I've not been doing a good job of being one_, he thought. "I'm sorry. I've been so absent this week," he exhaled. "I've just been so stressed out by projects and schoolwork and I don't expect you to understand—"

"It's okay, Moose. I understand. Really," she cooed. "The important thing is that you've got an awesome routine going on there."

"Oh, that?" He chuckled, leaning back with his hands supporting his weight. "That wasn't even my project."

"So, what is?" She hugged her knees to her chest. "Show me."

He sighed, throwing his head back. His hair was sticking out in different places. "I haven't even started it yet. And the video submission's on Monday. It's driving me insane."

"Well, can I at least hear the music?"

He sluggishly reached for his phone, then Say Something by A Great Big World started playing. Camille's eyebrows tilted in surprise. "Oh, wow. That's totally you, for sure," she said sarcastically. It was more her style, to be honest. She couldn't imagine Moose dancing to it. He snickered, cutting the music off. "I picked it out of a fish bowl, alright? Don't judge."

"So that's what's been bothering you?"

He nodded. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

She looked at him with concern. "But you're Moose. You always think of something. You're the optimist."

"Maybe it's just not my day."

"Can't you just perform a duet?" She suggested.

"I could, but everyone's set on doing a solo. Plus, my instructor stressed that our partner must be of the opposite sex, for some reason. And I can't just dance with someone I barely know to that kinda song, can I? That would be weird," he rambled.

"Hmm," she thought. "Okay. So you don't have a routine. You need a dance partner. Someone who can catch up to you. Preferably someone close. _And_ a girl." She glanced at him slyly. "I wonder where you could find one of those."

He raised his arms in frustration. "I know, right? If only I could get one in the blink of an eye. I need a partner quick."

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered how he's managed to live in this world with his extreme level of obliviousness. "Blink harder, Moose."

He wrinkled his forehead. "What? Wh—Ohhhhh." He stared at her in victory as if he just found a golden ticket in his chocolate bar. Camille stood up, taking in the appearance of the studio. "I haven't been in a place like this in a while." The ceiling was high and all four corners looked exactly the same. The mirrored wall made the room look twice as large. She breathed deeply. It made her feel safe. Then, she had a thought. She abruptly turned her head to face him, making her hair swivel the other side. "It's this place," she piped as if she discovered something great.

"What?"

"I feel safe here," she said, walking towards him. "Which means _you're_ not."

He chuckled. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not like you. That's how I know that this place makes you suffocate, in comparison to me feeling comfortable in its symmetry and identical walls."

He cocked his eyebrow. "Okay, Dr. Phil. What am I supposed to do then?"

She glared. "I'm serious, Moose. Come on, I'm taking you somewhere," she said, taking his hand.

After Moose cleaned up, they went straight to the Vault. Camille on the other hand changed into her harem pants and sneakers. She assumed that a lot of dancing will be going on if they're going the Vault, where there are speakers everywhere and everybody's just dancing their butts off. "You just need to get inspired," she said. As they entered, they were immediately greeted warmly by the Pirates who were in the middle of dancing a huge routine. _It's as if they never stop_, she thought in amazement.

"Hey, baby girl," Anala bubbled, hugging Camille. "What brings you two here?" Anala looked at Moose who, even in his great effort of looking happy to see his friends, obviously looked tense and worn out. "What's up with him?" She asked.

"Just a little stressed," Camille shrugged. "That's why I brought him here. Speaking of which, can we rehearse here 'til tomorrow?"

Anala scoffed. "C'mon, you guys are Pirates. You know well enough not to ask us that anymore." Camille smiled in gratitude. Anala left to practice some more, as Camille and Moose scouted for a spot to rehearse. "I think we should use the rooftop," Moose suggested. As soon as they arrived at the very top, he breathed in the fresh air and he immediately relaxed a little. Camille smiled at seeing him feel more comfortable. He turned around, and before she knew it, he was lifting her in his arms, twirling her around. "Moose!" Although startled, she laughed at his sudden change of pace. He laughed as well, putting her down. He kissed her soft lips, his hand holding the small of her waist and the other on her chin. They stayed that way for a couple more minutes while they felt the New York breeze through their hair. She smiled as she pulled away, surprised by his sudden actions. "You're so moody sometimes," she said. He sighed. "This is the life, you know. Kissing pretty girls who were once your best friend on warehouse rooftops of New York City." She scoffed. "Pfft. That's oddly specific."

He chuckled. "But seriously though. Thank you for cheering me up. I mean it's not like you're not stressed out by school, but you try to do something for me anyway." She smiled, stroking his jawline. "Oh, Moose. Don't even mention it. You may not be aware, but you do things for me all the time." She quickly pecked his lips. "And I'm thankful for that."

_Five days later_

"Dude, I saw the video," Mike said in the middle of lunch. "I felt it, dude. It was amazing." After his classmates saw their duet, they immediately insisted on meeting Camille. So there they were, seated together at the cafeteria. Moose shrugged. "It better be, 'cause it was all her," he said, looking at Camille who blushed furiously.

"You nearly made me cry! My heart was seriously, _seriously_ melting." A redhead named Alicia, who is also in Moose's dance class, shrilled. She gaped dreamily at the couple. "You two are _so cute_." The guy next to Alicia sighed. "Man, I wish I had a girlfriend who could dance. Wouldn't life be so much better?" He drawled, exaggerating the last few words and nudging Alicia. She glared at him. "_Not_ gonna happen."

Camille burst out in laughter as Moose observed the movements of her face, memorizing every feature. He loved how her eyes glimmered and how her cheekbones went even higher every time she smiled. He smiled. He loved how she made him smile just by seeing her smile. He could look at her forever, and he wouldn't get tired of looking.

He remembered the day he told her that she was her best friend in the whole wide world, and that he's never letting that go. It was only a few days later that he realized the weight of his words. He soon realized why he was able to say that with so much courage because it is, in fact, the truth. Ditching her on the night of the Halloween party was the worst decision of his life, and he felt horrible about it. He barely slept that night. He felt sure that she would never speak to her again. But to his surprise, she forgave him, because that's how Camille is. She's forgiving, and loyal and understanding and passionate and stubborn and full of anxiety and shied away from people who intimidated her. The day she told him that he should never give up dancing, he believed her, because she believed in him even though it was far-fetched to even be thinking about. He was here right now because she believed in him when even he himself didn't. Right then and there, he knew. _Everything leads back to her. It will always be her._

* * *

_**Thank you for reading! And please take time to leave a comment/review** ㈎9_


	6. Chapter 6

"Pretty please, Cam. Say you'll go to dinner tomorrow night," he pleads, sitting down on the bed.

Camille dropped herself down on her swivel chair with her elbow on the desk, supporting the weight of her head.

"They don't get to come to New York often. And you know how much they want to meet you." All Moose has been doing for the past week is nag her about this. She's been undecided, despite Moose telling her that his grandparents are excited to finally meet the famous Camille.

She sighed heavily in contemplation, playing with her hands. "I do want to meet them, but you know how I am with new people. Much more your grandparents."

She was definitely known for her severe anxiety. Instead of going out on a Friday night, she prefers to stay indoors and read a book in the comfort of her own bed. So, you could only expect her to be unnecessarily nervous to meet them. It's like meeting the parents, but much more extreme. It didn't help at all when Moose said that it will be at a fancy hotel restaurant.

It was only when she met Moose that she finally allowed herself to let go. He brought her out of the protective shell she's been hiding in for years. _I mean, who could stay that way if you're with someone like Moose 24/7? The boy is contagious._

He jerked his shoulders coolly. "It's just Mama and Papa. No big deal."

She smiled hesitantly, but the way he called them that made her feel comfortable, as if she already knew them. Her hazel eyes glimmered in curiosity. "What are they like?"

He paused to think, grinning wide. "Exactly like me, believe it or not. But much, much older."

She laughs in relief. "Really?" She couldn't imagine anyone who could possibly replicate Moose's craziness.

"Yeah! That's how I know you'll be fine," he said, glancing at her. He suddenly found it amazing how Camille is able to handle him without going mad. _Maybe I should mellow down a little._ Then, he scoffed internally. _Pfffft_. _Who am I kidding? I can't do mellow!_

"They're just as insane as me, you know. It's ridiculous when the whole family got together. Those two are a riot." He laughs at the memory as he plops down on Camille's bed, putting his hands behind his neck. "They were dancers before, too. And they met at my great-aunt's wedding, Papa told me. They danced the night away at the party and... the rest is history, I guess."

She listened intently to his story, staring at him. "They sound like really cool people."

"They are. Did I ever tell you that they were the first people to encourage me to pursue dance?" He grinned at her. "I was nine when they started bringing me to their dance studio every time we visited them in California. Once I started dancing, I didn't want to leave the place." He chuckled in delight. "My dad would basically drag me out of there." He smiled as he recalled his childhood that was filled with rainbows and unicorns. He remembered having a blast growing up. Camille, looking down at her purple sneakers, suddenly felt a small pang of jealousy. She wouldn't exactly call her childhood memorable. Her parents weren't the best people, she admits. Although she was grateful for her foster family, she still wished she had amazing grandparents who would have taken care of her when her parents couldn't. _Yeah, right. Like I'll actually meet mine._ Immediately, she felt ridiculous for thinking such thoughts.

Hearing Moose tell stories about them didn't change the fact that she was worried, but seeing him marvel at the greatness of his grandparents, she ultimately decided that she'll go. She hoped that she wouldn't regret her decision. "Okay. Tell them that I'd love to go to dinner, Moose."

"Yes!" He exclaims triumphantly, his hands balling into fists. "Mama's gonna be ecstatic."

Camille furrowed her brows at Moose in doubt, and he instantly chuckled at her skeptical face. "What? Mama's like our number one fangirl," he said nonchalantly, shooting a text at his grandmother. "Well, next to mom, naturally," he shrugged.

She shook her head back in laughter. "That's so funny, though." An image of crazy old ladies holding up _Moose _❤️ _Camille_ signs popped in her head as she held her stomach in amusement.

"I guess mothers really do know best, huh?" Moose jested. "And just so you know, mom has been teasing me since the day we met."

He stood up to take her hands, then brought her to the door. "So, I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

She breathed deeply. "Okay, I will. You sleep well," she reminded him.

"Alright," he grinned, then quickly kissed the apple of her cheek. "Goodnight, Chameleon."

—

Camille dreaded the night after, but despite that, there she was getting ready in her delicate cream-colored chiffon dress anyway. It was confusing to her that she felt ridiculously nervous to meet Moose's grandparents when his mom and dad already make her feel like she was family. She thought about it but then, remembering that Moose will be picking her up any minute now, she shut down her anxiety-inducing thoughts. She inhaled deeply. _Relax, Camille. Get yourself together._ After pondering over which shoes to wear, she chose her light brown ankle-strap wedges, assuming that it will slim the chances of her falling down on her face. All of her caramel-colored hair, which was curled slightly at the bottom, was left down. She styled it that way purposely so that if she ever felt uncomfortable, her locks could be easily accessed by her fidgety hands. The ends of her hair dropped several inches below her collar bone where her dainty, silver antler necklace was sitting. It was a gift from Moose, and she treasured it dearly. The boy was obviously written all over it because, well, it was a moose's antlers, for crying out loud. It was greatly significant yet extremely subtle—it wasn't the letter M, or anything cheesy like that—and that was what she loved most about it. It was kind of an inside joke between them, and she chuckled to herself every time she wore it.

Just as she picks her purse up, Moose comes knocking on her door. "Can I come in?" He asked. "Yeah, you can," she answered. His jaw drops as soon as he sees Camille dressed demurely in her lace-adorned frock. His mouth then closes and flips into a smile when he notices the small antlers on her neck.

"You look beautiful, Camille."

Her face lights up upon hearing him say her full name. It was a rare occurrence. She decided to return the favor. "You look dashing as well, Mr. Robert Alexander the third," she addressed mischievously. He was in a navy blue jacket with a white pinstripe shirt underneath and black jeans that fit him well. Surprisingly, he was wearing black leather oxfords. Another rare occurrence. Dramatically, he nodded his head in a stern way, making his curly hair shake. "The cab's waiting downstairs. We should get going, miss," he says as Camille takes a final self-reassuring sigh. He looked at her with concern. "Hey. Just relax, Cam," he comforted. His hand snakes around her small waist. "I'll be there the whole time." She found it really sweet that he was always aware of her emotions. He had an uncanny ability to instantly make her feel okay. _He's the only person who can, _she thought_._ It's almost as if he could read her mind.

"Okay," she mumbles in relief. He kisses her soft lips and grins as he tastes the strawberry in her lipgloss. He liked it a lot. "I have a feeling you're gonna have to reapply your lipgloss a lot tonight," he said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

The restaurant was the fanciest thing both of them have ever seen. Smooth jazz was softly playing in the background as they entered. The ceiling was impossibly high, and an enormous diamond-encrusted chandelier hung from it. There were tall pillars on every corner of the large room and each of them appeared as if they were intricately carved to perfection. A huge space was vacant on the center. A dance floor, they assumed. The place glittered in every spot. They both suddenly felt out of place, until Moose found his grandparents seated at a corner table.

"Oh, my Moose!" His grandmother stood up, held his face in her hands and kissed both sides. "You look as handsome as ever." His grandfather then embraced him tightly as Moose firmly returned it. "My boy," he said in his deep, hoarse voice. Moose smiled uncomfortably at being smothered out of nowhere. "Hi Mama Diane, Papa Robby." He held Camille's waist protectively. "This is my girlfriend, Camille Gage. The one I've been telling you about."

Camille smiled sweetly. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander. It's lovely meeting you." Camille immediately noticed his grandmother's light blonde pixie cut which made her pearl necklace stand out. She looked elegant. Diane smiled in utter delight as she embraced Camille like they've known each other for a long time. "I'm so happy to finally meet you! Please, just call me Mama Diane." She piped and looked at her with a huge smile. "And you're even more beautiful in person," she marveled as Camille turned crimson. "We've heard a lot of good things about you," Robby remarked. "From Mooski boy, of course." Then she realized something. _This man is _the _Robert Alexander_, she thought. Despite his skin that revealed his old age, she recognized the chocolate brown puppy dog eyes and tall nose, and instantly she knew where Moose got his features from. Camille glanced at her boyfriend who just gave her a knowing smile.

Stories were told as they ate their delicious dinner. They talked abundantly of how Camille and Moose met—Diane kept repeating how much they remind her of when Robby and herself were young—, her Psychology course and, without exception, Moose's sweet, sweet childhood. His cheeks heated up every time while Camille tried and failed miserably to stifle her giggles. She was surprised by how much fun she's having. She mentally face palmed herself for thinking the worst. His grandparents turned out to be, just as he described, the most wonderful people.

Eventually, Camille decides to change the subject, seeing as Moose was wallowing deeply in embarrassment. "Moose told me about your dance studio in California," she mentioned, wiping the ends of her lips with a napkin. "Ah, yes," Robby nodded. "Our pride and joy. It's not as alive as it used to be, unfortunately. But we're planning on installing a bar, to keep it fresh. Turn it into one of those clubs the young ones love."

"You must see it when you visit," Diana chimed in. Camille smiled happily.

"I'll make sure that she will, Ma," Moose reassured, just as he heard a familiar beat drop.

_Tsss-ahh_

_Dance_

_Let me see you move_

He placed his hand on top of Camille's when a remix of Love Never Felt So Good by Michael Jackson blasted the room. She felt Moose squeeze her fingers. He turned to face her, his eyes wide and shining. "We _gotta_ to dance to this song." Camille raised her eyebrows at him. She looked around. People in dresses and fancy suits were standing up and moving towards the dance floor, moving to the beat. Robby and Diane lit up. "Oh, sweetheart, let's go!" They jogged to the center of the room. Camille was amazed by their free spirit. They reminded her so much of Moose already. Seeing the others walk away from their ritzy tables, she eventually gave in and allowed Moose to drag her to the dance floor. At first they just spin around freely, having fun. Then, as soon as they got comfortable, they busted out into an impressive impromptu duet that made everybody look in amazement. Their bodies, supporting each other, swayed with striking ease to the music. The crowd slowly formed a circle around the two as they continued their dance. Eventually, Moose, ever so brilliant, breaks out into a simple dance move that he continuously repeats over and over. Camille follows suit, complementing his movements. Soon enough, everybody joins in and follows the same. The room, in its pristine and uptight condition, became alive. Every single person on the dance floor was beaming in delight as they all moved in perfectly synchronized motions.

_Tell me_

_If you really love me_

_It's in and out my life driving me crazy_

_'Cause baby_

_Love never felt so good_

Moose twirled Camille into his arms and embraced her small frame as the song ended. She rested her chin on his shoulder, laughing in elation as everyone broke out into a loud applause.

—

Moose pulled Camille out of the crowd and brought her to the garden, which they found through following the smell of flowers and freshly cut grass. In the fresh breeze, they caught their breaths after the rush of exhilaration they brought on the dance floor. "That was amazing," Camille laughed. He breathed out. "We should come again next week. Maybe the management will pay us to do that again," he chuckled. In the middle of the garden, they found a wooden bench and rested there. The green grass was damp under their feet, and the seductive smell of sweet peas filled the air. The flowing pond in front of them was dancing beautifully in the moonlight. The night creatures, although invisible, were chirping a steady rhythm.

Moose gestured to offer her his jacket, raising his eyebrows at Camille. "You cold?" She then shook her head no, smiling brightly.

"Your grandparents are amazing people," she said.

"I'm glad you think that," he smiled.

"I felt really scared to meet them, to be honest. You seem to really love them, so of course, I wanted them to like me. And I know it's just my mind playing games, but I felt like I'm not good enough," she confessed, mindlessly rambling. She immediately felt stupid for saying such things out loud. "Oh, wow. Did I really just say that?"

He stared at her longingly. "Even if they didn't like you, you know it wouldn't matter to me."

She hesitates, hoping she wouldn't regret what she was about to say. "You're gonna laugh at me for saying this, but I envy you, Moose. I've never met my grandparents. My real mom's not around anymore. My dad's in prison and god knows if he'll even come out of that." She sighed heavily, as if a huge burden has been lifted off her. "You're so lucky."

His lips parted in surprise. He never imagined Camille feeling that way. His mind flashed back to all the times he told her his hilarious childhood stories... and saw her wallowing in self-pity. He knew she had a rough time growing up, yet he still wasn't sensitive enough to hear her inner cries. It made him feel painfully guilty that he never realized. The breeze grew colder around them. Instinctively, he wrapped her in a tight embrace, his chin resting on top of her head. She buries herself into his shirt as she inhales his scent, her hands resting on his lap.

"You may not agree with me, but sometimes your true family shouldn't necessarily be of your blood. How about Tyler and Malcolm?" He reminded her softly. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembers the faces of her foster brothers. She missed them terribly. "The Pirates? The MSA crew? My mom and dad?" He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. He let her go as he stared intently into her glassy hazel eyes. He wiped the tears with his thumbs. "Listen, Cam. A lot of people love you, and I'm one of them. _I_ love you. Don't you forget that."

She returned his gaze. With her pointer finger, she lovingly brushed the smooth hair of his right eyebrow. She liked how soft it felt, and the strange contact made him laugh. Leisurely, she traced the outline of his ear, observing the way her fingers glided on the curves. This time, he froze. His pale skin warmed up and turned a rich shade of pink. Then, her fingertips moved smoothly down his jawline. Tiny jolts of electricity sparked throughout his body with the slightest of her touch. She smiled. His face appeared lifeless, yet his dark brown eyes, glowing wildly in the dim lighting, said otherwise. Her hand slid further down his collarbone, stroking the blunt muscle. She took her time, and his breaths grew sharper by the second. She gracefully tilted her head to the side and pressed her lips on the soft skin of his neck. His spine shivered as he felt her warm breath. He closed his eyes, his mind going crazy, but he managed to catch her hand that was sitting on his chest, and he held it there. She moved slowly, taking all the time in the world. Finally, her smooth, strawberry-glazed lips met his. His hands crawl around the small of her back, pulling her closer. She felt the warmth of his palms caressing her skin as she buries her hands in his curls. They moved perfectly as if they've memorized each other's every edge and curve. Their binding lips complement each other flawlessly like puzzle pieces. Ultimately, she breaks the kiss when her lungs demand for air. He catches his breath as he rests his forehead on hers. He cups the side of her neck as his thumb gently strokes the smooth surface of her jaw. His hair tickled her face. _What I'd give to stay in this moment forever_, he thought.

—

Diane kissed Camille's cheeks and hugged her for the last time. "I'm so glad to have met you, my darling. Take care of Moose for me, will you?" She winked.

Camille smiled. "Of course, Mama Di," she replied politely. Diane turned to Moose. "I better be the first to hear of the wedding, alright, boy?" Moose was almost sure that she meant it to be a whisper, but he knew his grandmother wanted Camille to hear it. "Okay, Mama. Whatever you say."

"Be good, Mooski," Robby said, patting his shoulder. He smiled at Camille. "And if this young man gives you trouble, don't hesitate to call us, dear," he said, threateningly looking Moose in the eyes. Camille laughed quietly as Moose defensively raised his hands. "Thank you so much for dinner!"

They left the hotel once Diane and Robby finally went to their room.

—

"And thank you for tonight," Camille whispered outside her door, taking extra care not to wake the other residents. It was already past midnight and although it was a Friday, she still preferred not to piss anyone off.

"It's not like I paid for any of that," Moose chuckled. She rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about."

"I know, I know," he laughs. "Thank you to you, too."

She gave him a final goodnight kiss. "Sleep well," she said.

"I will."

That night, Camille took off her shoes, her dress and her makeup, but she kept on the antlers on her neck, holding on to them as she slept.

* * *

_Your nice comments makes me so happy :D It means so much to me that you guys appreciate the stories. I'm also very glad that a lot of you like that I kept Camille and Moose true to their characters. I just feel like their personalities are already perfect for each other, so why change them?_

_And btw, don't we all want an antler necklace, too? Hahaha XD_

_I might write a Moosille story based after Step Up All In someday, but that will be another fic :) The general idea of this one is just showing the moments we missed between the time of Step Up 3 and Step Up All In._

_Keep the reviews coming! They make my day and inspire me so much to write better chapters. 'Til next time _❤️


	7. Chapter 7

"Brandon! Oh my god, it's really you!" Camille exclaimed in excitement, throwing her arms around the tall, lean boy. "It is!" He exclaimed back, laughing. He playfully lifted her up, startling her in her laughter. "How've you been?"

"I'm doing great. NYU has been nothing but amazing," she beamed, looking up at the huge structure behind her. "And how about you? You just disappeared! I haven't heard anything since."

He shrugged casually. "I live in LA now. And I'm actually getting a lot of modeling gigs," he bashfully said. "That's what I'm doing here in New York, so I'm actually pushing college back just a little."

"Oh, wow, look at you! You better not forget me once you get all famous and stuff."

He shook his head, nudging her shoulder. "What about you? Didn't your dance crew win the World Jam? Yep, I heard. And that BFAB movie?"

She scoffed. "But I bet that's nothing compared to you!" She smiled unbelievably wide. "Wow. I really feel like a little kid right now."

Growing up in Baltimore, Camille only had a handful of friends. Brandon was one of them. Seeing him in front of her now that she's in college gave her surges of nostalgia. Images of her ten-year-old self playing aggressive basketball matches with him and her other friends played in her head. It was one of the few wonderful memories she treasured from back home.

Since she was very much engulfed in excitement, Camille didn't notice Moose watching from the entrance of the school. His brows furrowed, thrown off by the scene he just saw. He's never seen this strange guy in his enter life and the fact that he looked about the same age as Camille unnerved him a lot. Pulling the sternest I-am-her-boyfriend face he could, he then confidently walked towards them.

"Hey, Chameleon," he said, pulling her towards him and kissing her temple. He completely ignored the guy, refusing to acknowledge his presence. "Hi Moose," she smiled brightly, wrapping her arm behind his back as he did the same around her shoulders. "Brandon, this is Moose, my boyfriend," she said. "We grew up together back home," she told Moose, who kept a blank stare. The jet black, spikey-haired boy offered Moose his hand. "Good to meet you... Moose?" He said his name as if unsure whether he heard it right. Moose shook his hand briefly, gripping a tad bit harder. "Yeah. Moose. Like the elk," he snarked. "It's actually Robert Alexander the third, but it's whatever. You don't need to know." Moose subtly stared him down and Camille felt the tension building between them right away. "Okay, that's great fun and all," Camille said uncomfortably. "But we really gotta go."

Brandon, clearly lost, wrinkled his forehead. "Um, alright, Camille." She waved his hand at him as she dragged Moose away by the arm. "Text you later!"

"_Text you later_?" He mimicked as she rolled her eyes.

Camille stopped her tracks when they arrived in the middle of the dorms' hallway, giving him a look.

"What was that about, Moose?"

"What? He was lifting you off the ground! And I have no idea who the the hell he is. How do you expect me to react?"

"I told you, we grew up together. He was just trying to be friendly!"

"Yeah, right. He was trying to be _friendly_," he said, making air quotes.

"We're just friends, okay? We used to play with toy trucks in diapers, for crying out loud!"

"Great. So he's already seen you naked. Gee, that makes me feel sooo much better."

Camille fumed. "Look. He was my best friend until I was twelve, okay? That's it. I've never seen him since."

"I was your best friend, too, wasn't I? And look where we are now." He folded his arms and raised his eyebrow, taking pride in his statement.

_Good point_, she thought. Then out of nowhere, someone yelled angrily, "Keep it down, numbskulls!" She exhaled in frustration. "We cannot be doing this right now."

Moose pressed his eyes and squished his cheeks together, trying to calm himself down. "Okay. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just overreacting but I swear if I—"

"Moose. Please." He took her hand, but Camille, surprisingly, shook his hand away.

He sighed heavily in defeat and gave her the space she wanted. "Okay, okay."

"I'll... See you tomorrow." She walked away briskly, not looking back.

—

The next evening, Moose decided to formally apologize to Camille. He admits that he got jealous over nothing, but who can really blame him? He felt insecure that this stranger knew Camille for so long, that he was a witness to her early life. And in that aspect, Moose couldn't do anything. _Unless I owned a time machine, that is_.

He knocked on the door, asking if he could come in. Camille opened it, and Moose paused in confusion. She was dressed as if she had someplace to go.

"Are we going somewhere?"

Her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh no. I forgot to say," she fretted, her hand clapping on her forehead. "I was supposed to tell you that I'm going out to dinner tonight."

His eyebrows furrowed, dragging his words. "With who?" She just looked at him apologetically and didn't respond. Instantly, he read her mind.

"That Binder boy again?"

"_Brandon_. We're just gonna do some catching up."

"You already did that yesterday," he muttered.

She pleaded. "This is just a one time thing, Moose. And I'm coming back right away."

"But it's Saturday night. We're supposed to do stuff." He gave her his puppy dog eyes. "And we barely have enough time for each other as it is."

She looked at him. He was right about that, but honestly, when else would she ever get to see her old friends again? The chances are slim. She nearly gave in, but she remembered that Brandon was already waiting at the pizza place. She didn't want to be the jerk who did the ditching. _Am I not doing that to Moose right now?_

She shut her eyes. "Moose, I really have to go now."

His shoulders dropped in disappointment. He exhaled loudly. "Fine. Whatever. Just please, don't stay out too late." He dropped all of his weight on her bed. "I'll be waiting right here."

She felt extremely guilty, yet she smiled in gratitude. She knew how much he hated the situation, but he tried to understand her anyway. She walked closer to him and leaned her head down, her hand resting on his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered as she slowly kissed his lips. "I'll be back soon."

—

Moose's exhaustion eventually caught up to him no matter how hard he tried to stay up. He wanted to go to sleep with Camille by his side, but his eyelids were so heavy already that he knew he couldn't wait any longer. It didn't help at all that he was already in his comfy pajamas, which he quickly took from his room along with his fluffy pillow. _Maybe I should just take a quick nap._

Twenty minutes later, Camille arrived in her room at last. She nearly said something out loud when she saw the boy sprawled on her bed, deep in slumber. Moose was breathing a long and steady rhythm. His arm was hanging from the bed and his hair was covering his face. His printed cotton shirt was riding up, exposing his sculpted stomach. The bed sheets were severely creased from him rolling on it. She giggled quietly. _Exactly like a chinchilla_. She pulled the covers up for him, straightened out his shirt, and brushed the stray curls away from his forehead. As soon as she brushed her teeth and got dressed in her sleepwear, she lied down facing his back. She wrapped her arm around his stomach, pulling herself close to him.

"Cam?" He looked over his shoulder, rolling over to his other side.

"Hi." She smiled.

He caressed her soft cheek, tracing the faintly visible veins. "I'm really sorry for yelling at you and acting stupid yesterday."

Her lips turned into a lopsided grin. "It's okay, Moose. I was yelling and being stupid, too, if it makes you feel any better."

He sighed. "I was jealous. It made me really upset thinking that he knows things about you that I don't. And I know I couldn't compete with that."

She scoffed. "What competition, Moose? You've already won."

He laughed to himself. She's right. Now he felt stupid again. "I have, haven't I? I mean, I'm the one on your bed right now. Can't get any more victorious than that."

"_Wow_. That was totally not awkward to hear at all," she said sarcastically as he burst out laughing.

He became quiet for a while, enjoying the view of her glowing face. "Is this the part where I tell you that I won't ever get jealous again?" He teased.

"Sure, whatever you want. But for the record, I like how you look when you're jealous." She poked the tip of his nose. "Your forehead wrinkles and your brows forcefully meet. Your entire face turns serious and you get really worked up." She grinned mischievously. "It's kinda sexy."

"God, stop it, Cam. I feel so violated right now," he joked. She laughed heartily. She loved it so much how he could both easily make her laugh _and_ ruin a moment.

"But seriously, though? I'd rather not be jealous, it doesn't feel very good." He shrugged, a wicked grin appearing on his face. "Sorry Cam, but you gotta find another source that'll be able to satisfy your Sexy Moose cravings."

"Shut up," she laughed, lightly punching his chest. He looked at her incredulously. "What? You're the one who finds me sexy! I'm just helping you out here."

"_Okay_, Moose. It's time for bed. We better not get worked up again."

"Fine," he whined. He pulled the covers up.

"Goodnight, Moose," she said, cuddling into him and burying herself into his chest.

"Goodnight, Chameleon," he murmured in her ear and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

* * *

_You guys have to see Adam and Alyson's Truth or Dance interview on youtube. It's the cutest XD it makes me want to write a fanfic that's post-Step Up All In, but I'm still thinking of the overall concept:)_

___Thank you for reading! Keep the reviews coming _❤️


	8. Chapter 8

Moose quietly snuck into Camille's room that Saturday morning, tiptoeing on his black and white sneakers. No more than a tiny squeak came out as he carefully closed the door. Automatically, he then walked to the windows and closed the blinds, knowing that the sunlight would give Camille a headache once she woke up.

It was the official start of the term break, and he was really stoked about it since Camille's 18th birthday is on Monday. He's been planning about giving her a huge surprise party with the help of her friends and family for three weeks now. But seeing that it was impossible due to certain circumstances, he decided not to do it. Plus, he knew that there would be, no denying, a lot of drinking in a big party like such since most of their friends are older than them. And he knew very well that Camille doesn't ever want anything to do with alcohol. _So there's that._

So, there he was, sneaking on her two days before her birthday. He wanted to make sure that he'd be the first to give her a birthday greeting. You know, before anyone else does something before he does. _Take that, Kristen. Ha._

Camille was rolled on the side comfortably, facing him. He kneeled down beside the bed and gently nudged her awake. "Cam?" She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light. A smile appeared on her face as she saw him hover over her. "Hey," she croaked, sitting up. "What are you doing here so early?" She looked at Moose who was fully dressed and ready for the day. His forrest green beanie meant serious business. "I just wanna look good." He shrugged. "And because I just wanted to tell you... happy birthday!" He flopped himself down beside her, making the bed vigorously shake. She raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Okay. Thank you, but sorry to burst your bubble. My birthday's not until Monday, Moose." She chuckled lightly, gently patting his cheek. "It's okay, it's okay. I forgive your little blunder. We can all pretend this never happened." She dove back into the bed when Moose shook her wildly.

"No! I mean, yes, of course I know it's not your birthday today, but I have your present already."

She sat up, a little annoyed. She was _not_ a morning person. "Already? Now?"

"Yeah, it's here."

She sighed. "Moose, what did I tell you about the gifts? I don't want you to feel obligated to get me anything."

"But it's your 18th birthday," he insisted, nudging her side. "And I'm pretty sure you're gonna like this."

Camille was perplexed. It must be something really important if he's giving it two days early. It scared her a little, to be honest. He wasn't holding anything huge, so she concluded that it must be something small. Her eyes widened. "I don't want to sound like an insensitive bitch or anything, but oh my god you better not be proposing because if you are, you're dead."

He laughed as he saw the threatening look on her face. _Yep, not a morning person_. "C'mon. Just see for yourself." He reached for his pocket and a long white envelope appeared in his hand. He handed it to her, and she just stared at it cluelessly. She carefully opened it, and dropped her jaw in complete shock as she held up two pieces of paper. "Are these plane tickets? To LA?" She stared at Moose, beaming. "Yeah, it is," he said as he urged her to look at the envelope for more. "I believe there's something specifically for you in there." She looked into it, and saw that a folded piece of paper was enclosed inside. She opened it and realized that it was a letter from Moose's parents.

_Dear Camille,_

_Happy birthday, darling! I hope you and Moose enjoy your little LA trip. You two need it especially after working hard in school. All expenses are paid, so you have nothing to worry about. _

_Enjoy your 18th birthday in California! But don't get too crazy._

_With love,_

_Mom and Dad_

She could not explain how much her heart swelled just by reading the letter from his parents. They have been the greatest people in her life. The way that it was signed _Mom and Dad_ made her want to cry in happiness. She loved that even they knew how much she loved the beach. And because it's been too long since she's stepped on one, it only made the gift even more precious.

Suddenly, Camille froze and stared into space. "Oh, Moose. This is unbelievable."

"We're going to LA, baby!" He slung his arm over her shoulder, when Camille shoved it away. "No, Moose. It really _is_ unbelievable. How are we gonna do this? I mean, we don't really know anything about LA. And where are we staying?

He shook his head confidently, leaning back against the headboard. "You may be underestimating my skills just a little, Cam. Don't worry, I got it. It's your birthday, remember? I got it all covered."

What she didn't know is that Moose also got a note and a bunch of calls from his parents. They've actually been planning the trip for a while, and after his grandparents met Camille over dinner, they did not think twice at all to pay for the trip. They loved her so much. _A little more than me, sometimes, haha_. It was, without a doubt, a gift solely from his folks. And Moose couldn't thank them enough.

_Son,_

_Enclosed in the envelope are the tickets. Don't lose them! _

_Have a great time in LA, but be very careful and promise us you'll take good care of Camille. Ma and Pa will be in Europe for two weeks more, so you don't have to worry about them._

_Also, the keys to the beach house are in the envelope, too. Don't lose them, either. _

_Love, _

_Mom and Dad_

_P.S. But mostly Dad_

He laughed at their absolute distrust. It was hilarious how they thought he was still ten even though he'd already turned nineteen a few months ago. Maybe that's what happens when you're an only child. He's gonna have to call them later, though. _Love you too, mom, pops. _

—

_The next day_

After approximately six hours, they finally landed from the plane and as soon as they arrived, they took a cab and went straight to Malibu, where the beach house was.

"Moose, where are we going?" Camille was now getting a little nervous in her seat, being so far away from home.

"You'll see. Just trust me," he assured, gently squeezing her hand.

The cab eventually stopped, and they took their bags out of the trunk. When Camille turned around, her jaw dropped in awe.

"Here we are, Cam. Home sweet home. For three days, that is."

The house that sat in the middle of the resort looked so huge, it appeared as if it could hold at least two families. Despite its intimidating size, the couch outside the patio made it look cozy. Big glass windows that acted as transparent walls occupied the second floor. Ideal for people watching. The trellis above looked beautiful as it allowed the sunlight to pass through. The room from upstairs had a balcony and its own outdoor stairs that directed to the water, which Camille thought was brilliant for morning swims.

"How? This is too much, Moose." She gaped in wonder. She suddenly felt really guilty for staying somewhere luxurious and not spending anything. It just seems wrong. _And how the hell did Moose afford this?_

Then, he replied as if he read her mind. "It's my grandparents', actually. I've stayed here a few summers when I was little. But now they rent it out during that time, you know, for tourists," he explained. "Come on, let's check it out." He took Camille's bag and led her inside the glass doors. The place was beautifully decorated, she thought. It had tropical-inspired elements mixed with modern pieces that went well with the whole beach theme, and Camille thought it was perfect.

After a brief tour of the place, Moose then showed Camille her room. It was minimalistic and painted white, with small touches of black decors. She inspected it with wonder in her eyes, touching every intricate detail of the area. Finally, she sat on the soft duvet covers.

"You like it?" He smiled, leaning back against the white dresser.

"I absolutely love it! How come you've never said anything about this house?"

He shrugged innocently. "I just never thought there was something to say."

"Your grandparents must be crazy rich."

He shook his head no. "Not really. But their ancestors are. Apparently they did stuff a while back and got lotsa money for it." He chuckled. "Anyway, history class is over. Why don't we go to the beach now?"

She exhaled, smiling. She felt more comfortable knowing that Moose partially grew up in the place. "Okay. But let me change first."

"I'll see you outside, then," he winked.

Camille stepped out in her thin taupe knit sweater and little denim high waisted shorts as she breathed in the fresh air. Her hair blew with the wind as she deeply inhaled the scent of the water. It was definitely not the same air you get back in New York.

"Hello, Chameleon!" Moose, in a tank top and shorts, hollered and jogged towards her. His slender arms, which he rarely displays underneath his array of long sleeve shirts, became defined in a matter of months, she noticed. He handed her a pair of his aviator sunglasses as he wore one of his signature bboy caps. "Gotta protect your eyes from the sun, kids."

They walked to the beach and marveled as they felt the hot sand under their toes. They found a huge plastic lounge chair with an umbrella attached to it, and there they settled their things. Thankfully, it was still pretty early so there wasn't a lot of people yet. Moose laid down on the chair and placed his hands behind his head, satisfied under the comfort and protection of the shade. Camille, through her aviator lenses, looked far at the cool blue water and imagined how the first cold touch would make her warm skin feel. She turned her head and stared at Moose, who looked as if he could care less about the breathtaking view. "Aren't you going for a swim?"

He squinted his eyes from the sun's glare. "But it's still really hot," he whined.

"But that's the point," she countered.

She took off her sweater and pulled down her short shorts, revealing a strapless coral pink two-piece bikini. She neatly folded her clothes and set it on the edge of the chair. Her hair blew gracefully in the wind as if a fan was blasting in front of her. Her effortlessly toned body, which she obviously achieved from years of dancing, immediately glowed under the light. She didn't need the tan—she was already sun-kissed and golden. Moose couldn't help but drop his jaw, taking all of her in. He may or may not have been seeing things in slow motion just now. _Man does she look good in pink. _

"Moose!"

"What?" He sat up, breaking away from his trance and a little worried that he might have said that one out loud.

"Are we swimming or not?" She ran towards the water as Moose lazily followed her. He pulled his tank off as he progressed into a fast run, feeling the hot sunlight hit his face. "It's burning already!"

—

Throughout the day, they explored the beach and its other various forms of entertainment. They ate in the house, watched the setting sun through the glass walls and rested for a few hours there, but returned to the shore a couple hours after their late dinner. Outside, the night sky appeared as dark as ever. The moon, illuminating the water, peeked out of the clouds. Oddly enough, the beach was empty on a Sunday night. They took advantage of its emptiness. Hand in hand, they took a stroll beside the waters until their feet were dead tired. Soon, they both squat on the sand and instantly felt it digging into their skin. Camille brushed some off of her legs, which have tanned a little as the day passed by. She hugged herself, rubbing the cozy knit sweater on her arm. Moose leaned back, his hands supporting his weight.

"Did you have fun today?"

She nodded and smiled. "The greatest so far."

"I'm really glad you liked it. But see, the best part here is the fireworks."

"They have fireworks here?" Her eyes widened in excitement.

"Yeah. At precisely 11:30 pm," he said, looking at his phone. "And it's 11:24 right now. Just wait for it."

She excitedly looked up at the star-less sky, waiting for the lights to come up. "Come over here, Cam," he said, pulling her against his chest as she scooted between his legs. She leaned back against the front of his hoodie, and he laced his arm around her stomach. His fingers absently played with her straight caramel hair that twisted into waves from soaking in the saltwater. They sat in silence, absorbing the view and enjoying each other's company in the quiet night. Then suddenly, the colorful strobes of light appeared in the sky, startling Camille at first. Soon enough, her mouth drops and eyes glimmer in amazement as she feels a significant boom pound through her chest. The wild bursts of neon red and yellow heavily contrasted the steady dark background. It's as if the lights did their own dance as they moved together in harmony, working like a team. She smiled. It's been a long time since she saw fireworks in person. It was amazing to her how something destructive can be so beautiful.

Suddenly, she chuckled. "It totally feels like I'm in a cheesy romance movie right now."

"Why's that?" He smiled.

"The beach, the cold breeze, the moonlight, the fireworks? I mean, seriously."

"It is, huh?" He scoffed. "You know what would make it cheesier? If there were violinists playing sappy music in front of us."

She laughed. "And then a strange dude would start singing in French."

He added, "Oh, what if the fireworks spelled out your name with a really corny birthday message?"

"That would be so funny," she laughed.

"Really?"

Then, as if on cue, the colorful lights that calmed down shot up once more, and this time, it was bigger and more elaborate than the first ones. Camille looked up again in admiration, then her brows wrinkled.

_CAMILLE_

_HIT A MOOSE _

_WHILE DRIVING_

_AND _

_HIT_

_HIM_

_STRAIGHT_

_IN_

_THE_

_HEART_

She froze, her heart beating faster as she read each word that exploded into the night sky. A silly red figure of a moose appeared after the last word as the final blow, and it made her giggle. Finally, the sky turned dark and stable again as if nothing happened. Moose slipped his hand under her sweater, feeling the bare skin of her waist and rested his chin on the crook of her shoulder. "You hit hard," he breathed into her neck. His long curls brushed her collarbone. She smiled at him in disbelief. "That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done to me. And the cheesiest. And the craziest. And the stupidest."

He chuckled goofily, pecking her shoulder. "Of course it's stupid. It did come from me, didn't it?"

"I swear you're crazy," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck into an embrace. She was so unbelievably grateful for this boy, it was unreal. She couldn't contain her smiles even if she tried. "Thank you. For everything."

"It's the least I could do, Cam. I mean between the plane tickets and the beach h—"

"No, I meant for _everything_ everything. For always being there. For making me feel special."

He grinned, caressing her cheek. "It's because you deserve it. You deserve all the best in the world," he said, kissing her soft lips. He broke apart when his phone alarm beeped, saying that it was exactly 12 midnight. "Would you look at that. You're officially an adult, Cam! Happy birthday," he exclaimed, pressing his lips to her cheek. "Does it feel weird?"

She snickered in annoyance. "Why does everyone ask that? It's not like I'm getting magical powers or anything."

He shrugged. She laughed once more, then kissed him forcefully on the lips and threw herself on top of him. Her hands sifted through his curls as she toppled him down between her legs on the warm grainy sand. The soft earth was all over their bodies.

He dramatically screamed in pain. "Seriously, Cam? There's a perfectly good bed in the house. We could use _that_, for starters."

She playfully threw sand on his chest. "I'm not trying to do anything like that, you creep." He laughed, groaning as he embraced her under the moonlight. "Whatever you say, Camille Gage."

* * *

_Thank you for reading! I know this chapter is borderline cheesy, but sometimes you just gotta embrace the cheese to make it all okay, hahaha_

_And yes, I wrote this chapter in honor of Alyson Stoner's 21st birthday last August 11. go greet her, if you want to :D_

_Speaking of Alyson, you guys must watch her cover of Sweater Weather from Kurt Schneider's youtube channel, if you haven't already. It's one of the reasons why I believe she's one of the most talented people in the industry. She just keeps getting awesome! _

_Again, thank you for the appreciative reviews, follows and favorites _❤️ _'til next time!_


	9. Chapter 9

_The next morning in LA_

"Moose," she said. "Wake up!"

Camille has been desperately waking Moose up in the dimmed bedroom for the last 30 minutes. They only had today and tomorrow to explore California, and she was determined to see all of it as much as possible on her birthday. She wouldn't be able to do that without him, though, since he's the appointed expert as of this vacation.

He groaned and mumbled as Camille shook him wildly. "It's 7am already! Move it, sleepyhead." As usual, his hair was covering his face, though she could clearly see his long eyelashes peeking out through a curtain of curls. She gently stroked the tiny hairs. Weirdly enough, she felt envious of his thick lashes that made hers look like nothing. _Wow. My boyfriend has prettier lashes than me_, she thought, laughing to herself. Camille sat down beside him on the bed, waiting for him to finally open his eyes. She started to poke him all over his face, then she blew her warm breath on his neck. She tugged on the neckline of his shirt, but even that couldn't get his attention. She resorted to just sitting patiently for a while, taking in the elegant master's bedroom. She didn't get to inspect the room last night since they fell asleep right away after staying up late in the beach. Now that she's fully awake, she acknowledged how pleasing to the eyes the cream colored walls were. Rich maroon drapes covered the huge windows, protecting the room from the morning light. The golden accents that were carefully placed in shelves and on vases looked glorious during the afternoon when the sky turned red and orange. It felt like they were in a fancy hotel.

Eventually, she gave up and began to stand, when Moose suddenly grabbed her by the waist with both hands, making her fall down on the bed. "Moose! Oh my god," she screamed, startled. He laughed wickedly. "That's what you get for waking me up this early!" He threw himself on top of her stomach as she hysterically laughed. She instantly felt his weight fall on her body. "Moose! You're not a chihuahua!" Then, she smiled mischievously, plotting her revenge. She began tickling his sides and he started to writhe on the bed, cackling uncontrollably. "Nonononononocamille," he cried. She laughed as she saw him go crazy. "You deserve it!" She jumped on top of him, poking his waist and neck. She knew just the right places to mess with. "Okayokayokayokay now stop! Camiiiiiille!" He raised his shoulders to his neck, while trying to block her hands from touching him any more. In the midst of hysterical laughter, she finally stopped and lied on his back while he was flat on his face. His shirt was riding up, his hair was a complete mess, and he could barely breathe. He wasn't sure if it was funny any more. "Ow, you're heavy," he wailed, his voice muffled by the bed. He was panting and out of breath from laughing so hard. "Now you know how I feel," she pointed out, sitting up. "Okay, you win," he croaked. She stifled her laugh and wiped the tears in her eyes while helping him sit up. She tamed the frizz out of his curls and kissed him lightly on his lips. "I'm sorry, Moose. But good morning," she said sweetly, as if she didn't just wrestle him to the ground. His hair was still all over the place and blinding his eyes, so she took one of her black elastic bands from the bedside table. "May I tie your hair up?" She asked gently. She admits that she felt bad for being too cruel on his sensitive body. He nodded, smiling gratefully. She knelt down behind him and finger-combed his hair into a bun at the back of his head. "Now you can see," she chuckled. "Thanks," he said as he slouched his back, clearly worn out. "I dunno if I should be proud that my girlfriend is strong, or scared that my girlfriend could possibly kill me," he dramatically said. She rolled her eyes. "Your ego will get over it," she teased, kissing his cheek. She grabbed him by the hand, leading him out of the large bedroom to the kitchen counter. The house was very well-lit due to the huge glass walls. He looked down to shield his eyes from the glare, glancing at her hands that slid perfectly into his. Then his eyes trailed up to her body. It was only then when he was fully aware of what she was wearing. Or, actually, _barely_ wearing. She was in a pair of tiny boxer shorts with hearts printed on them. A black sports bra was peeking under an oversized blue flannel that was buttoned only at the bottom. He thought the shirt looked strangely familiar. His brows raise in realization. _That's because it's mine._ And she made the old thing look good. _God, she's really going to kill me._

"And I hope you'll get over it once and for all, after you eat breakfast. I made some pancakes." His stomach grumbled as he feasted his eyes on the tall stack of sweet-smelling cakes on the table. He didn't realize how hungry he was until now. He sat on one of the bar stools, making himself comfortable as he placed his elbows on the edge of the counter. "How'd you get groceries?" She shrugged casually, pushing one of the plates towards him. Then she poured hot water into two identical red mugs. "There's a convenience store just outside the beach property. I went over there early in the morning." Moose furrowed his brows in concern, drizzling maple syrup on his plate. He remembered the letter from his parents that specifically said to take good care of her. "You should've woken me up, Cam." She scoffed as she stirred teaspoons of instant coffee into the water. "If I remember correctly, you would not wake up at all." He chuckled, chewing on a fluffy pancake. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, then," he said, winking slyly. He smiled gratefully as Camille nudged a mug of hot coffee towards him. "By the way, I really appreciate your outfit today. Very _Moose chic_," he joked. She giggled, looking down on her half naked appearance. "I was a little worried I would look too slutty chic, but hey, everyone on the beach is practically naked most of the time." He choked on his drink, stifling his laughter. Then he smirked. "I'm starting to think that maybe we should have been living here, Cam." She glared at him, sipping her coffee. "Will you quit it with the sexual innuendos? It's like seven in the morning," she scolded, although a smile was obviously creeping into her face. He just grinned.

"Better to start early," he laughed, playfully sticking his tongue out.

"Oh my gosh, you'll never stop," she said, covering her flushed face in embarrassment.

After breakfast, they immediately cleared the counter and started piling up the plates and pans. Well, Camille mostly did the work. Moose just stared and observed her every move as the sink bubbled up in soapy foam. She had a look on her face that said she knew what she was doing. As stupid as it sounds, it was just her and the dishes in that moment. Not even Moose's piercing stare could distract her. She has always been hardworking no matter what, full of determination, and sure of where she's about to go. And Moose admired that about her. It may seem like he is like that too, but in all honesty, he depends on her assurance. For instance, he wouldn't have been dancing anymore if she never told him to keep his passion alive. That day she told her that, he started questioning himself why in the hell did he not realize she was right. _And she was so right with a lot of other things_.

Moose thought it was too quiet in the large house, so he played some alternative pop song through his phone to lift up the mood. Sleeping With A Friend by Neon Trees started to fill the room. "Alright," he clapped, bobbing his head up and down to the beat. He danced silly on the shiny tiled floor, popping his shoulders left and right. Camille smiled. "What are you doing now?" He took her hands, which are now slippery and dripping wet. He got some soap on his hands as he intertwined his fingers with hers while moving in synch to the song. She eventually surrendered and followed his lead. He twirled her around, as she began moving her neck and shoulders.

_I said ooh, ooh_

_You got me in the mood, mood_

_I'm scared but if my heart's gonna break_

_Before the night will end _

_I said ooh, ooh_

_We're in danger_

_Sleeping with a friend_

She laughed as Moose started lip-synching to the song. He did it so ridiculously well as he used a wooden spatula as a microphone. He did the running man in a comical manner, and she threw her head back laughing.

"You better help me get the dishes done, Moose," she bubbled.

"But we're dancing!"

"You can't just use that as an excuse for everything, you know," she said, throwing foam on his cheek. His jaw dropped in shock. "Oh no you didn't!" He grabbed a handful from the sink and wiped some on her chin, making her step back. She splattered bubbles on his neck and aimed for his mouth. In return, he splashed her with water from the faucet, dampening her ponytail. She attempted to do the same when he lifted her up and slung her over his shoulders like a sack of rice. "Ha! The moose emerges in victory!" He yelled as she laughed uncontrollably. She shrilled, kicking her legs in the air. He exhaled heavily as he slowly put her down. "Ohhh man. Well that was fun." She playfully shoved his chest, still consumed in laughter as he shook his hands dry of water droplets. He grabbed some paper towels from the kitchen counter and gently patted her face dry, sliding the piece of paper on the curves of her nose and chin. Camille then dragged a few rags with her feet and started to wipe the wet floor, making sure neither of them would slip and fall. Meanwhile, the music was still softly playing in the background. "This means war," she jokingly threatened, forcefully poking his chest. It made him laugh, but then his expression immediately turns serious.

"I just realized, Cam. This is how life will be like everyday after we graduate," he said, brushing her pin straight caramel hair.

"You mean playing with bubbles while doing the dishes? Oh I'm sure we'll make great adults," she joked.

He laughed. "You know what I'm saying. I really can't wait 'til we get our own place."

"I love that you're so excited about that," she said, smiling.

His eyes widen with enthusiasm. "We could totally live here in LA! That would be awesome."

"Why not? When you'll be a choreographer and I a psychologist, it'll be perfect," she winked at him.

He folded his arms together, leaning against the counter and looking far into space. "I know it seems so far away right now. And a little too ridiculous, maybe. But do you ever imagine it like I do?"

She grinned, leaning back against the sink. It's rare to hear things like that come out of Moose's mouth, so she was trying to let it all sink in, trying to cherish every word. She was grateful for moments like these when his vulnerable side opens up to her. It made her feel that she wasn't alone.

She dipped her head to make him look her in the eye. Her lips rose up into a faint smile when she finally caught his attention. "I can't imagine life after college without you in it, to be honest." Her shoulders dropped. "You're the only thing that's constant in my life, Moose. I mean, have you seen what I've been through? Everyone leaves. And that's why I'm so grateful to have you with me right now." She sighed anxiously. "I really hope we'll stay the same for a lot more years."

His face flips into a huge, goofy grin and walked closer to her. "Of course we will. Always. We're a team, remember?" He held her fist in front of her. "Blow it up, Cam." She chuckled, letting her hand glide beside his as he made explosive sound effects. She laughed at the current scene. She loved that they never lost their relationship as best friends even though they're together now. How many couples got to do that? "Still got it," she playfully nudged him. He pulled her tiny frame towards him and held her head against his chest, kissing her hair as he swayed slowly to the music. She wrapped her hands around his back, feeling the thin cotton shirt on his body. "See? This is how I know we'll be good for at least ten more years. We'll just fist bump it out," he chuckled. "But seriously. I really want that for us. At least ten more years, okay?"

She looked up at him, her eyes shining. She felt so happy that they worked out the way she wanted. That she found a person who believed in her and made her feel safe and accepted her for who she is. That she found someone who could make her truly laugh and forget about all the miserable things in the world. For other people, it may sound ridiculous to promise so many years to another person. But honestly, Moose wasn't just another person. They've been through so much together, it's impossible not to be around him any more. At this point, they've become a package deal.

"I'm so glad I fell in love with you."

He smiled, leaning down to softly press his lips on hers. "So am I. You have no idea."

* * *

_Again, thank you for reading! I have nothing else to say but thank you. Keep the reviews coming, and 'til next time ❤️_


	10. Chapter 10

It was a loud Thursday night.

It was still pretty early in the evening, so everyone was still up. Camille smiled at the few people she knew as she passed them by. The long and narrow hallway that's usually quiet in the mornings was filled with other students blasting dance music, having their own mini parties. Several doors were ajar, revealing people sitting on the floor in circles, laughing at shared stories. The noise then gradually subsided when she arrived in front of Moose's door. His place was located pretty far from the rest, nearly at the end of the hallway. They didn't mind the distance, though. In fact, they liked it since it provided them both a little more privacy when they needed it.

She felt strange as she knocked on Moose's door. It's not a big issue, but it's only because she doesn't get to come over to his room as often as someone else would expect to. It was Moose who usually came over, not the other way around. They've always been hanging out in her room, and it's been like that ever since.

When he wouldn't answer after a couple more tries, she assumed that he couldn't hear her rapping. So, she cautiously twisted the doorknob. Her head peeked inside, her eyes scanning the room. Moose was seated and leaning back against his grey swivel chair, his back facing her. She could see that a pair of black Converse was propped up on the desk in front of him and his ears were covered under his huge headphones. She grinned. She quietly closed the door and tiptoed inside, careful not to disturb him. When she was directly behind him, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey," she whispered, her straight hair brushing his face. Moose was startled at the contact at first, but he relaxed as soon as he heard her dainty voice. He took his feet off the desk and pulled his Beats headphones down, letting it drop around his neck. He smiled wide, showing his pointy canines.

"Cam!" He chimed happily. He craned his neck up and kissed the top of her cheekbone.

"Are you busy?" Camille asked, seeing that Moose was reading a plain black and white textbook.

He looked down on his lap where the book was lying down, scratching the back of his head. "Nope, not really. Just doing some advanced reading for this engineering class." He fiddled with the pages. Camille slightly frowned in guilt, sitting on his bed. "I feel like I'm disturbing you."

He chuckled and swiveled around to face her. "Of course not. You coming over here is the best thing that's happened since the last 20 minutes."

She giggled at the comment, rubbing her arms. She looked up, observing the entirety of the small room. It was painted a clean white, unlike her bright yellow walls. It was covered with big shiny posters. One of them was of World Jam, and beside it was a Michael Jackson, circa 1985. MJ's picture perfect brunette curls were reminiscent of Moose's chocolate brown ones, she thought. On his bedside table was a rectangular digital alarm clock, and beside it was an old framed picture of him with his parents. She guessed that he was around ten or eleven years old at that time. It made her smile. On top of his desk is a silver reading lamp that's turned on, illuminating a stack of books at the center of the wooden table. In a corner, she saw that his tiny kitchen was as tiny as hers. With only a small tabletop, two stools and a mini fridge beside the sink, she thought it was perfectly comfortable enough for him. Moose caught her inspecting the place. "I try to make it look at least presentable," he said sheepishly. Camille chuckled. "I like it. It's very you."

"I guess. But I still like hanging out in your room better," he shrugged.

She smiled, then immediately straightened her back and exhaled, as if preparing herself to tell a big secret. "So..." Moose raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

"So, what if I told you that we could go home for the weekend?"

Moose froze, as if deep in thought. He wanted to come home so bad, but with the bad timing and everything else, it was a long shot. It wasn't a surprise when his eyebrow cocked up in suspicion, thinking that it had to be some kind of joke. Even Camille expected it. When he realized that she wasn't messing around, he eagerly moved forward on his seat. "_Home_ home? Like Baltimore?"

She nodded, a smile slowly rising up.

"Really? That's awesome!" He smiled a toothy smile. "But why this weekend?" Their schedules weren't exactly the most flexible as of the moment. They'll be taking their exams in less than three weeks from now.

Camille handed him a fancy square envelope that's elegantly adorned with silver swirls. "It's kind of a last minute thing, but we've been invited to a wedding ceremony."

He quickly glanced at her as he took it, reading the cursive handwriting on the back.

_To Camille Gage and Robert Alexander III_

He smiled, opening the flap and pulling out the scented paper.

_You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of_

_**Nora Clark**_

_and_

_**Tyler Gage**_

_On Sunday afternoon_

_The 24th of August _

_At 3 o'clock_

_225 North Charles St._

_Baltimore, Maryland_

_Followed by a reception_

"Woah," he marveled. "I can't believe we're invited to Tyler Gage's wedding!" Camille cracked up at his unexpected reaction, covering her mouth. "Correction. _You_ can't believe it. I'm the sister. I'm quite sure it won't be pretty if I wasn't invited."

Moose's eyes widened with excitement. It's true. Sometimes he forgets that Camille's brother is _the_ Tyler Gage. "Tyler Gage is like an MSA legend. I can't believe he even knows I exist," he chuckled.

"Of course he does. I told him all about you."

His head jerked down in disbelief. "He really knows about me?"

"Yeah," she scoffed. She found it hilarious that he treats her brother—her evil, scheming, arrogant, manipulative, yet loving brother—like a big celebrity. "You better get ready then, 'cause you're meeting him on Saturday."

He gulped, his eyes turning anxious this time. "You're serious."

He's never met Camille's brother in his life, shockingly. In high school, he's always known that he was her older brother—and he found that fascinating, but that was it. Unfortunately, by the time they were freshmen, Tyler has graduated from the arts school and has been going on tour with Nora all over the world. Therefore, he's never had the chance to officially meet the brother. It made him nervous, to be perfectly honest. Aside from the fact that he's his girlfriend's older brother, everyone in school respected him like someone would respect a saint because he was the first street dancer to ever be accepted in MSA. _And_ he was a scholar. Classical dance was MSA's specialty, but once he started studying there, the school warmly welcomed hip hop and injected it into the dance curriculum without losing their modern slash classic style. His name was one for the history books, really.

Camille scoffed. "Will you stop talking about Tyler like he's some kind of god? It's just Tyler."

His face turned into a lopsided grin. "This must be how you felt when I told you that you're meeting my grandparents."

She nodded and smiled knowingly. He exhaled heavily, his lower lip blowing away the curls sitting on his forehead. "What if he hates me? Is he one of those big brothers who give their little sister's boyfriend hell? Oh no," he rambled fast.

Camille just laughed lightly, a little amused that Moose—Mr. Confidence guy—was scared of meeting her big brother. "Of course not! I told him about you, Moose. And I'm pretty sure he likes you," she reassured. She stood up and walked towards him. "So now that that's settled, I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she leaned down to peck his lips. He smiled, holding her waist and feeling a little relieved. "Okay, then. See ya, Cam."

—

They arrived in Baltimore, Maryland that Saturday morning.

"Oh, Camille, Moose, my darlings," Moose's mom greeted them as soon as she spotted them in the airport. His parents got extremely excited when he informed them that they'll be home for the weekend, so of course they offered to meet them there. "Hi mom, hey dad." Moose hugged his parents tightly. His mom turned to Camille and kissed her cheek. "How's school?" His dad asked. "Stressful," Moose exhaled, scratching his neck. His dad shook his head and turned to Camille. "Has he been good to you?" He raised his eyebrows, referring to Moose. "As good as he can get, Mr. A," she shrugged as Moose nudged her accusingly. She just playfully glared at him. They've only been around his parents for three minutes, and they're already bickering like six year olds. Mrs. Alexander looked at her wristwatch. "Well, we should be getting some lunch now, shouldn't we? You two must be starving," his mom said. "Awesome!" Moose exclaimed as he took his and Camille's luggage, shoving it in the trunk of his parents' car.

Camille felt as at home as Moose did in his parents' house. It looked and smelled exactly the same two years ago. The picture frames on the mantle didn't move an inch, same with the vases and the grand piano which never seemed to be played. Only the fresh flowers on the coffee table are the ones that change constantly every three days. To Moose, the place was basically a time capsule of his childhood.

"Camille and I are going out later today to meet her brother, Mom. Just to let you know," he informed as he rinsed the dirty plates and utensils on the sink beside Camille. She meticulously scrubbed with dish soap as Moose passed them over to her. "The one getting married tomorrow?" His dad, sitting on the couch in the living room, asked. His mom sighed dreamily beside her husband. "I just cannot wait for the day you two will tell us of your wedding." Camille and Moose just briefly looked at each other, trying to stifle their giggles. After years of his mom telling and hinting at them these things, they just decided to laugh it off instead of feeling embarrassed. At this point, they've learned not to fight it, and just allowed his mom to dream happily even if it made them uncomfortable. "Come on, honey," his dad chimed. "Don't embarrass the kids."

"Ugh, what? It's gonna happen someday anyway."

"Alright, mom," Moose hollered, wiping his hands dry with a towel. He giggled as he faced her. Camille just smiled at him, the apples of her cheeks flushed.

—

They arrived at the venue of the reception where Tyler said he'd be. They strolled around at first, looking at the huge ballrooms fit for ritzy, uptight people. The carved, swirly columns wrapped in sheer fabric looked immaculate with the high, well-lit ceiling. _W__eddings here must really cost a fortune_, she thought.

As they entered into an enormous, flawlessly decorated room, Camille saw Nora with her mom from afar, busy looking up at the decorations. She looked to the right, and immediately spotted Tyler in his short, dark brown crewcut. "Tyler?" He turned around, and Camille immediately threw her arms tightly around him, as if making up for the time they didn't get to spend together. "Camille!" He returned her embrace as he attempted to turn her around just like he did when she was little. "Wow, you're heavy. I keep forgetting that you're not a baby anymore," he teased. She forcefully backhanded his big, firm shoulder. "Oww! What the hell did you do to yourself? You're arm is inhumanly buffed," she exclaimed, massaging her hand. "It's nothing, really," he arrogantly folded his arms together, jerking his head up as she rolled her eyes at his never changing pomposity. She smiled. It's been a long time since they've seen each other because of obvious reasons. She was always busy, and he was always busy. He would call her if he had time, but the calls would usually come only during holidays and special occasions. He did at least call her on her 18th birthday, but it was a quick one. She understood, though. He was a mature grown up now, and not his usually cocky, sarcastic older brother anymore.

She sighed. "Wow. You're really getting married, huh?" He smiled wide in return. "Yeah. Surprisingly, I found someone I love who could actually tolerate me," he joked. "I'm so happy for you and Nora, Ty," she said, hugging him again. Behind her, Tyler glanced at Moose who was observing from a few feet away. Tyler smiled as he let Camille go. "Is that him?" He subtly pointed as Camille looked behind her shoulder, motioning for Moose to come closer. He smiled politely at her older brother as he walked towards them, not knowing what to say.

"So you're the famous Robert Alexander," he grinned.

"The third, actually. Robert Alexander the third. But you can call me Moose." His white, pointy canines were showing through his smile.

Tyler chuckled. "Moose?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Like the elk, you know."

"That's cool," Tyler laughed and looked at Camille as if saying _I like this kid_. "I've heard so much about you, Moose."

_Oh crap_.

"You were with the Pirates, right? You were Luke Katcher's protégé."

Moose's face lit up, a little relieved. "You know Luke?"

"Sure! A dance company flew me to New York right after high school and I met Luke there. Small world, ain't it?" He smirked. "You did great at the World Jam, by the way. You helped them win."

Moose rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "I wouldn't say that, but thanks. The Pirates are awesome dancers on their own."

"C'mon, man. Give yourself a little credit! The thing with the lights at the end? Brilliant."

He couldn't believe that Tyler Gage was complimenting his work. There's nothing more fulfilling than hearing someone great tell you that you've done the right thing.

"Yeah, and he designed all of the lighting effects, mind you," Camille chimed in. She saw Moose flush crimson.

"What, really? Well, damn!" Tyler exclaimed in complete awe. "I wasn't giving you enough credit, then. MSA musta been proud to have taught you."

"Thanks," Moose smiled, looking down at a beaming Camille.

"Maybe I myself should be thanking you, too," Tyler added. "For taking care of Camille. You know, I'm not always there for her. So I'm thankful that you're there."

Camille was fighting the heat rising up her cheeks as Moose's jaw dropped. He didn't expect that from him.

"You're a cool kid, Moose. I wouldn't want anyone else for my little sis." Tyler offered Moose to shake his hand, but he just stared at it for a few seconds.

"Oh no, no. See, it goes like this." He balled his hand into a fist, urging Tyler to do the same. He glided his hand forward and shook his fingers as the older guy mimicked him. "Poohsshhh..." Moose chuckled, and so did Tyler. "I love it," he remarked. Camille just giggled, delighted that her two favorite boys in the world are getting along so well.

"I'll be completely honest," she said. "I was a little nervous that you'd hit each other in the face today."

Tyler scoffed. "Are you kidding? I love this kid!" He playfully punched Moose's shoulder as the curly-haired boy laughed. Tyler looked over his shoulder, checking on Nora. "But hey, I'll talk to you guys later. Looks like my wife-to-be needs me. Later!" He winked and clicked his teeth, jogging away. "And Camille, give Malcolm a call later! Tell him you've arrived here." Her brother hollered as she nodded, giving herself a mental note to call her little bro.

As soon as Tyler was several feet away and out of earshot, Moose excitedly turned to Camille like a little boy who just met a Transformer in person. "He's even cooler than I imagined he would be!"

Camille burst out laughing. "Calm down, little boy. Keep your fangirling under control."

"He said I was brilliant," he whispered, his voice showing as much excitement as it possibly could.

She rolled her eyes and locked her hand around his arm, dragging him out the huge doors. "Come on. Let's have a pretentious stroll around this fancy place for a little while."

He smiled goofily. "Okay, then. We can have pretentious romantic conversations along the way, too, if you want."

"That would be absolutely perfect!" She said in a mockingly sweet voice.

"We're on the right page, then. After you, _mademoiselle_."

_end of part one_

* * *

_Hi everyone :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Did you like Moose and Tyler's interaction? Let me know!_

_Keep the reviews going, please! They motivate me to continue this story, so I would really appreciate it if you left a comment . Thank you for reading, and until next time! _❤️


	11. Chapter 11

Camille winced as the morning light seeped into Moose's old bedroom.

The dark blue walls, covered in as much posters as his dorm room, wasn't enough to fight the brightness of the yellow sunlight. She threw her forearm over her eyes as she rolled over her side of the bed. Moose was still heavily asleep beside her. She shut her eyes, taking a minute to recollect her thoughts. _Tyler's wedding is today_. As she deeply inhaled, she sat up, using her arms to balance herself on Moose's big soft bed. Being so accustomed to the average-sized one in her dorm, she felt like the bed was enormous. _It could practically fit two Moose's and three me's. _She quickly tied her hair up in a high bun, looking down on the boy spread out beside her. His incredibly long and thick eyelashes were prancing up. The bridge of his tall nose, highlighted by the morning sun, dominated his face. She idly stroked the curves of his cheeks, feeling just as fluffy as it looked. His skin was surprisingly baby soft, she thought, despite the vigorous daily activities he goes through. Moose felt the gentle contact as he opened his eyes. Camille smiled, delighted to see the chocolate browns of his iris. He and a puppy had the same adorable, round eyes, and she meant that in the best way.

"Good morning," she said. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, his lips curving upwards.

"Good morning, Chameleon," he mumbled. He started to stand up, but before he could even try, Camille had already sat on him, keeping him in place with her bare legs folded on either side of his hips. He chuckled. "What?" She fought a smile, not saying a word. He caught her piercing hazel eyes, and Moose swore that the browns and greens met, creating a warm, amber tone. He grinned as his heart quickly reacted to the fact that she was practically pinning him to the mattress. "Okay, okay. Whatever it is, I'm down." _Literally_. He leaned back against his pillow as he rested his palms on her thighs. She stooped down, her hands supporting her weight, and briefly kissed him on the lips. As his hands rubbed up her legs, her mouth quickly moved down to his neck and kissed his skin fervently. One of her hands was tightly clutching his shirt, the other placed on his shoulder, needing the support. He shut his eyes, tilting his head the other side. His hands were all over her. At first he firmly held her waist, then eventually slipped his hand into her shirt, caressing her stomach and the small of her back. He straightened his neck, making her suddenly stop. Without further interruptions, he forcefully pressed his mouth on her, feeling her lips like he'd never before. She returned the force, mindlessly moaning in the kiss. She reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up quickly as to not disturb their business. Her hand trailed down to his sculpted stomach and felt the ripples and lines and edges under her fingers. Without stopping, he slid her cotton shirt off of her quicker than she imagined he could, and she was soon left bare with her black bra. He smiled, rapidly sitting up to feel her neck with his lips. With his fingers playing with the line of her bra and hers buried in his hair, pulling on the curls, he trailed his mouth down her jawline to her collarbone. From collarbone to shoulder blade. From shoulder blade to the inside of her elbow. He left a hundred trails of kisses on her silky tanned skin, making her shiver. He went back up and started to nip on the skin below her neck, slowly moving down the supple skin of her chest... Moving down, down...

"Moose, Camille? Breakfast is ready!"

They both instantly looked over Camille's shoulder, eyes wide and alert. The world stopped for a second. Then, they exhaled in relief as they realize that they'd locked the door last night. _Thank god._ They just looked at each other's faces and burst out in laughter, as if they did not almost have unadulterated love making on his childhood bed. Moose pressed his lips on the top of her shoulder, making a loud sound. "Oh, wow," he marveled.

Camille pulled her legs off of him, giggling. The apples of her cheeks were flushed. "I can't believe your parents trust us to sleep together in your bedroom."

He snorted, plopping down back on the bed. "It must be the fact that they still think we're fourth graders."

She quirked an eyebrow. "They do not."

"Uh, you honestly think they'll leave us alone if they'd finally grasped the idea that we're loving young adults who have not done _it_ yet?"

She covered her face, snorting loudly. She found it hilarious how they couldn't even dare to say the word 'sex'. _How very fourth grade-esque of us_. In the midst of her embarrassment, she just brought her hands to his chin, pulled him towards her and left a quick kiss on his lips. "That can be easily fixed," she whispered. He cocked his eyebrow, his eyes getting big. Then, she stood up and grabbed her oversized cotton shirt on the floor and pulled it down over her head. As he looked down, he didn't even notice that she was wearing his green checkered boxers. He's always thought that it was her way of teasing him. By casually sleeping in his boxers and flannels and huge shirts. "Someday, Moose. But as of now, breakfast is ready. _And_ we have a wedding to attend," she winked. Moose found that extremely sexy. Her hips swayed beautifully, her slender legs shimmering as it stepped over the other, her messy hair shining an elegant reddish brown. Finally, she left for the door, leaving him alone in his room to drop his mouth in awe over what just happened. "There goes that slow motion thing again."

—

The enormous room they visited together looked exactly the same except that it was now full of people in formal wear smiling at each other, obviously happy about the ceremony that's about to happen. Camille recognized a few faces. Some of them were Tyler's old friends that she'd constantly seen in the neighborhood when she was little. Most of them she didn't know, but she assumed they were from Nora's side. Near the altar beside a dashing suit and tie clad Tyler were his groomsmen, Mac Carter and Miles Darby. They were having casual adult talk, as Camille could guess. She gave the whole room a quick once over as she mindlessly played with her curly side braid and antler necklace. The venue was almost full, and she estimated that just over a hundred have arrived. She already knew that the reception would be crazy just by counting heads.

Camille grabbed Moose's hand, leading him to the aisle seat of the third row. Her strapless, flowy lavender dress swished around as they walked, careful not to disturb other people. He would occasionally hold the back of her waist to keep her from losing balance in her tall wedges. Camille thought it was incredibly sweet of him. When they finally settled down, she straightened the black bow tie on his neck as he tilted his chin up, allowing her to work her magic. He was in his best suit, and she definitely appreciated it.

The place grew solemn yet blissful as the music started to play. As soon as Nora, in her immaculately white, feathery dress, entered the doors, Camille instantly saw Tyler's reaction. Nothing but love completely filled his eyes. She was happy that her brother was happy. He found his happiness, and that happiness was walking down the aisle right now. She hoped to experience the same happiness someday, but she believed that she was seating beside it at the moment, listening intently to whatever the priest was saying. In the middle of the ceremony, Moose took Camille's hand and laced his fingers into hers. They smiled contently at each other as he kissed her knuckles and settled their intertwined hands on his lap. When the music played again and the guests have exited the room, they followed the wedded couple out of the venue and to the reception. The ceremony ended successfully, making Tyler and Nora officially husband and wife.

Conveniently enough, the reception was located just a few rooms away from the wedding venue. Moose and Camille were seated on a round table with her foster family throughout the whole program. Seated across her was her foster dad, either side of her was her foster mom and Moose, and beside Moose was the 13-year-old Malcolm, her younger foster brother. The little one was both a talker and a charmer, so of course he and Moose clicked right off the bat.

"So I'm going to MSA next year, too. You went to high school there too, right? Is it a good school? I know that's where you met Camille," he rambled on.

Moose chuckled. "Yeah, it's great. What do you plan on studying?"

Malcolm quickly sipped the water from his glass. "Graphic design. I like to draw you know, and also technology. But to be honest I'm not sure how far drawing alone would take me, so I decided that graphic design was a way to go. It's in demand. Then I plan on going to art school in Sydney or London for college. Hopefully. If I get a scholarship."

Moose cocked his eyebrows. The kid seriously had a plan, and it seemed like he's set for life. He liked him. Fortunately, her foster parents liked Moose a lot, too. It wasn't his first time seeing them, but it was his first time being formally introduced as her boyfriend. They were fairly nice people, he thought.

The celebration went on through the evening. Drinks were being emptied and so was the wide variety of food. The best part, at least to Moose and Camille, was the dancing. Of course they wouldn't miss it, and of course Nora and Tyler danced their butts off as well. It's what they live for, what brought them together. Miles, of course, was the DJ behind the sick music. Moose's ears sprang up as he heard a classy Michael Bublé song mashed with pop and a bit of dubstep. He personally thought it was brilliantly done. As the party continued, nothing extraordinarily special happened except that before the night ended, Nora finally tossed her bouquet of flowers and Camille, without meaning to, caught it in her hands. She was so caught off guard, she almost fell flat on her face. _Curse these shoes_. Hoots and applause from family and friends were gained out of it. Tyler, who was beside Moose at that time, playfully punched Moose on the shoulder and shook his head of hair, making the younger boy laugh.

So, that is how Camille arrived in Moose's home with a bouquet of Calla Lilies in hand. It was the first thing Moose's dad noticed.

"Did you get married, too?" His dad teased in the middle of reading a Stephen King novel. Moose rolled his eyes, looking down on a chuckling Camille.

"Yeah we did, dad. Your son is now married at 19," he teased back. He couldn't help but quietly mutter to Camille. "Next thing you know, we'll be parents next week." She stifled her laughter, slapping his chest hard. Then his mom suddenly appeared out of nowhere, joining in the tease-fest.

"I caught the flowers back in the day, too! Got married to that man the following year," she said, pointing to her husband who raised his hand above his head. She nudged Camille hard with her elbow, giggling with a tiny voice. Camille stifled her snorting, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Don't get too excited, Mrs. A," she said. "They're just flowers."

His mother just smiled. "They're not just flowers. And that's _mom_ for you, sweetie," she said, gently cupping her chin. "It's about time you started calling me that."

Camille couldn't help but smile back as she pulled the older woman into a hug. The closest thing she had to a real mom. Moose was already seated on the couch as she saw the two women in his life share a moment. He honestly wouldn't know what to do without them. He glanced at his dad who was seated comfortably across him, totally captured by his book. "Hey dad," he called. "Thanks."

The father raised his eyebrows in surprise. "For?"

Moose shrugged nonchalantly. "Everything I guess. For school, for food, for hooking up with mom? I mean where do I even begin?"

The older man shook his head, closing his book. "Well. I was hoping for something more heartfelt there, but that's a good start."

Moose laughed, leaning back against the couch. "But seriously, dad. Really. Thanks."

His dad nodded in approval. "This sounds like the kind of thing we'd forget in the morning, but I'll take it anyway. The more reason I'll cherish it." He smiled. "You're welcome, son. Very much so."

Moose felt peace inside him that night he went to bed. And as Camille nestled closely into his chest, he felt the most content in his whole life. Nothing in the world could have possibly shaken that feeling away.

* * *

_Thank you for reading :D If you enjoyed it, please let me know through a review! I'd love to hear (or read) your thoughts :)_

_'Til next time! ❤️_


	12. Chapter 12

_Im dying over here. Brain's not working -moose_

_Don't be such a DQ -cam_

_Whats that? -moose_

_Drama Queen. It's only been a day. -cam_

_Exactly. I'm dying over here -moose_

Moose has been studying the entire day in preparation for next week's exams, yet nothing seems to be getting into his brain. He felt like he had a massive headache, although he didn't really. At this point, even his own mind was playing him. _I'm so sick of all these equations._ Sheets of paper and various types of highlighters were messily scattered on his desk. The flash cards he made himself were no use. Thirty minutes later, they eventually got covered by immature doodles.

_Can I come over? -moose_

A couple minutes later, he entered Camille's room with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He found her lying on her stomach, legs up in the air. She was in a pair of her favorite black harem pants and his TMNT graphic tee, reading a textbook. "I see you can't stand not being around me," he teased, dropping his bag on the floor. She looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about? You're the one who specifically wanted to come over."

"I was talking about the shirt," he said sheepishly.

"Oh," she chuckled, looking down on her chest. "Well, it's extremely comfortable to lounge around in."

"You're welcome," he winked. She shook her head, grinning. "So, what's up with the brain cells today?" He sighed, making the bed shake as he plopped down. "Not functioning. What else is new?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It's tough, I know."

He scoffed. "You don't seem like you're having a hard time."

She smiled proudly, doing a very pretentious high pitched voice, obnoxiously flipping her hair. "Oh, I do what I can." He laughed.

"I just can't work in my room sometimes. It can be so stressful."

"So study here," she shrugged.

"But I'll just get distracted."

"By what?"

"By you!" He poked her side.

She dropped her mouth. "Don't tell me I don't help you out, 'cause all I do is yell at you so you'll hit the books!" She playfully backhanded his arm.

He chuckled, shrugging. "I know that. But eventually I'll only stare at you and watch what you're doing. I mean, that's so much more fun than reading about circuits."

She tilted her head to the side. "That's really sweet and all, but I don't wanna be held responsible for your failing grades." She sat up and grabbed one of his books from his backpack. "Come on. Let's start with this one." She scanned the text, flipped through the pages and began to quiz him. Between the two of them, Camille was definitely the more studious one. She's organized, prepared, and is the master of time management.

"You already do enough for me," he said, taking his book back. "I can do that later."

"Exams are next week, Moose."

"I know that."

"So start now."

"I've been reading."

"But you said you're brain's not working."

He sighed. "It's not right now, but it will later, for sure."

She dropped her shoulders, thinking deeply. She really wanted to help. "You know what? I think your brain's just fried."

He exhaled heavily, raising his hands in defense. "I know, I know. We've been through that."

"Sorry." She put her hand to her mouth, chuckling. Then, she thought of the ultimate, fool-proof anti brain fry solution. "I think we should go dancing."

"There's really no time to go clubbing, Cam. And it's still early in the evening. That would be weird."

She laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. I was thinking more of hitting the dance studios, Moose."

He raised his brows. "Oh. Okay." He kinda wanted to go out dancing, though. "But isn't it already late?"

She shook her head, grabbing her phone. "I'm pretty sure it's still open. Come on!" She took his hand as they left for the door, leaving the textbooks opened on the bed.

—

"Okay, so we're here. Now what?" Moose scratched the back of his head as Camille turned on her feet, looking at the dance studio in its entirety. She smiled at him. "Now you dance." She bent down and connected her phone to the sound system. "Music?" She asked, looking up at Moose who was smoothing his hair down. He pulled his shoulders up together in a shrug. "Surprise me." She squat on the floor, and set the playlist on shuffle. Moose looked at himself on the mirror and shook his body. He started rolling his neck and shaking his hands, preparing himself to go wild. Then the slow piano intro of Stay With Me by Sam Smith started to play.

Camille snorted loudly as Moose laughed. "That was really anti-climactic, no offense."

"Okay," she giggled. "Let's try another one."

She tapped on the next button, and the depressing guitar intro of The Funeral by Band of Horses filled the room. Moose scoffed as Camille laughed.

"Okay now you're just messing with me, Cam."

"I'm not!" She said in between laughter. "Alright, one more." She tapped a finger on her phone again, and this time Work by Iggy Azalea played. She turned the volume up. Moose scratched his ear and just looked at Camille, not knowing what to do. He stared into the mirror cluelessly. She waited for him to bust his moves, but found that he wasn't feeling it. Eventually, he gave up, dropping his shoulders. He walked towards Camille, reaching for her phone. "Can I just choose this time?" Camille instantly grabbed it away from him. "Nope. Respect the shuffle," she quirked an eyebrow. He whined. "C'mon." She shook her head no. He scratched the back of his head again, taking his red jacket off. Then, as the chorus came, he began to shake his butt, much to Camille's amusement. He twerked like Iggy would, and Camille couldn't help but roll on the floor, hysterically laughing. Moose then began dancing very feminine-like, imitating Beyonce's moves. "Oh my gosh," Camille exclaimed. "My stomach hurts now." Moose stopped, laughing as well. He shrugged. "I respected the shuffle!" He sat down beside her, catching his breath. "Now it's your turn." She wiped the tear in her eyes and stood up. "Fair enough."

Moose touched the phone with his finger, and Bang Bang by Jessie J/Ariana Grande reverberated through the floor. He dropped his jaw in disbelief. Of course it would play a perfectly danceable song during Camille's turn. "No fair. This thing is rigged, Cam!" She just chuckled, sticking her tongue out at him.

_She got a body like an hourglass_

_But I can give it to you all the time_

_She got a booty like a Cadillac_

_But I can send you into overdrive, oh_

She looked at herself in the mirror. She felt silly in Moose's oversized TMNT shirt. She pulled it over her head and threw it beside the stereo. She was left with a blue sports bra and her black harem pants. Her preferred dancing attire. When she felt the beat drop, she shook her head and whipped her ponytail into the air. Like a fierce performer, she began to dance.

_Bang bang into the room_

_Bang bang all over you_

_Wait a minute let me take you there_

_Wait a minute 'til ya_

Her hips swayed and shook effortlessly. She raised her arms up and dropped low. "Whoo!" Moose exclaimed, cupping his hands over his mouth. His head nodded to the sick beat as Camille's moves made him gape in awe. She strut back, her legs gracefully overtaking the other. And when the final beat dropped, she dipped her head and raised back up as she flipped her hair again. Moose couldn't help but think, _Beyonce just possessed her._

She laughed bashfully as soon as the song ended. She walked towards Moose while catching her breath. Moose raised a hand up, giving her a high five. "Worked it!" Camille didn't let go of his hand yet, then pulled him up. "Your turn," she panted. She plopped down onto the floor and tapped on the shuffle button. Treasure by Bruno Mars started to play.

_Gimme your, gimme your, gimme your attention baby_

_I gotta tell you a little something about yourself_

_You're wonderful, flawless, oh you're a sexy lady_

_But you walk around here like you wanna be someone else_

He rolled his head to the side and back, while his fingers snapped in time to the percussions. His feet slid smoothly on the shiny floor. His curls danced on his head as his neck bobbed up and down. He brought his fingers to his lips, then blew Camille a kiss, much to her amusement. He winked, keeping his eyes on her.

_I know that you don't know it _

_But you're fine, so fine_

_Oh girl I'm gonna show you _

_When you're mine, oh mine_

He popped his shoulders up then down, kicking his legs in front of him. His hands were inserted into his belt, his elbows jerking to the sides. He moonwalked towards Camille, then motioned for her to dance with him. She stood up, and soon she was rolling her shoulders towards him. He put her arm up and twirled her into his body.

_Treasure_

_That is what you are_

_Honey, you're my golden star_

_You know you can make my wish come true_

_If you let me treasure you_

_If you let me treasure you, oh_

He then did a move where he pretended to shovel. As if digging for treasure, his knees rose up together with his arms, then he did the same to the other side. Camille, amused by the clever dance move, mimicked him. It made for a great party move, she thought.

Then, Moose ended the song with a moonwalk and a turn on his toes, making for the perfect MJ-like ending. Camille clapped her hands and wrapped her arms around him.

"That was pretty amazing," she breathed. She went over to her phone and checked the time. It was already eight. They had enough of their fun. "Come on, let's crash and call it a day."

"One last song," he pleaded. "There's this song I've always wanted to dance with you." Camille raised her brows, intrigued. Moose took his phone from his pocket and plugged it into the speakers. After a few taps, Mirrors by Justin Timberlake began playing. He smiled at Camille and took her hand, leading her to the center of the dance floor. They were out of breath and glistening in sweat. Their hair was sticking to their faces, but that didn't stop them.

_Aren't you something to admire_

_'Cause you're shining something like a mirror_

_And I can help but notice _

_You reflect in this heart of mine_

Moose rolled his torso to the side and made his arms wave. His right foot landed on the back of his left one. Camille stared at his body, her lips slightly parted. He froze and looked at her, a signal that it was her turn. She moved in response, her chest popping. She turned quickly, then stopped in front of him, her hand sliding on his chest. Her nose touched the tip of his, their lips inches away. She smiled, continuing to move her body in a wave-like motion.

_It's like you're my mirror_

_My mirror staring back at me_

_I couldn't get any bigger_

_With anyone else beside of me_

He held on to her hips as they both dramatically turned their heads to the side. Her hand was behind his neck, her back facing him. Then she twirled to the side. They were now both facing the huge mirror, standing side by side. They mimicked each other's movements, becoming each other's mirror.

_You are, you are_

_The love of my life_

_You are, you are_

_The love of my life_

Moose suddenly stepped right in front of Camille, startling her. He smiled, looking down on her lips. She grinned as she caught his eyes. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and leaned in. She breathed, feeling his soft lips crash on hers. She snaked her arms around his neck, keeping him locked in place. She smiled into the kiss. He broke apart and opened his eyes, keeping his gaze on her hazel orbs. She shyly bit her lower lip as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He observed her features, memorizing them. Then he left a quick kiss on her forehead and pulled her into an embrace. Their bodies were damp and shining in sweat, but they didn't mind. They swayed together, laughing lightly.

"Uhh, I gotta close up for the night," a hoarse voice startled them.

They looked out the door, and there was the security guard, staring at them unwittingly. They glanced at each other and stifled their laughter. Moose unplugged his phone from the stereo and Camille pulled her shirt back over her as they quickly scampered. "Thank you, sir," she said sweetly as they passed by him. She wasn't quite sure why she thanked the guy. As they jogged away, Moose waved his hand at the middle aged man. "Have a good night!"

"You think you can work now?" Camille asked, smiling at him as they walked side by side to the dormitory building. He looked at his phone. It was already nine thirty. "Maybe we should go to sleep first," he chuckled.

Camille laughed. "I totally just took your study time and lit it on fire."

He bumped his shoulder with hers. "Course not. That was the most fun I've had this week," he said.

Camille beamed. "We should do that more often, don't you think?"

His face lit up. "Yeah! My choreography classes can be so boring sometimes. Dancing with you is always a breath of fresh air."

Camille shrugged, grinning. "I try."

Moose smiled wide, exposing his canines, and slung his arm around her shoulder. "C'mon then, Fresh Air. We gotta go to bed."

* * *

_Thank you for the nice comments and for reading! I hope you enjoyed Moose and Camille's dance scenes as much as I did, haha :D Keep the reviews coming (I'd really love to know your thoughts) , and until next time ❤️_


	13. Chapter 13

Moose carefully took his limited edition gunmetal Nike Dunks off his feet. It's been a few months since Luke passed it down to him, but he was still able to maintain it in its prime condition (even though Luke has already done damage to it beforehand). He blew the dust off of the silvery front of the sneakers and brushed the green lines with his fingers. He gently set it under Camille's bed.

She was lying flat on her stomach, lounging in shorts and a hoodie, while reading an old issue of Seventeen magazine, poring over an article about school-appropriate fashion. He plopped down, his back facing her side, as he pulled his socks off. Camille chuckled, bumping her shoulder with his lower back. "You know, for a boy, you really know how to appreciate a pair shoes." He looked over his shoulder as he rolled his eyes at her, his lips rising into a grin. "You know, for a girl, you can really dance like a badass," he sniped. He stuck his tongue out like a child as the corners of her mouth turned up. "Okay, okay. Fine." Moose shook his head as he stood up and walked to her closet. He shrugged his blue jacket off and hung it inside Camille's closet. "Is this alright, Cam?" She closed the magazine and stared into space, as if thinking deeply. He asked for her approval, yet didn't actually wait for her response. He obviously feels extremely at home in Camille's small dorm room.

But she couldn't care less. Her mind was occupied with something else. She curled into a ball, pulling her bare legs to her chest. "This is irrelevant, but all i remember is that day whenever I see those shoes."

Moose glanced at her. "You mean our first kiss?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, sure. But more like what happened after that."

He walked towards the bed, looking at her with concern. "Are you still upset about it?" He sat down to meet her eye.

She grinned weakly, looking at his worried face. His eyes were rounder than ever as they widened. "Of course not. It's just not a very pleasant thing to think about, I guess." She forced out a chuckle. "That was so long ago. I shouldn't even be talking about it. I'm sorry."

He crouched close beside her, his arm firmly pressed against hers. "No, it's okay. We can talk about it. This could be like those couple's therapy reality shows."

She snorted, her head dipping as she laughed. "Okay. Sure, Moose."

_FLASHBACK_

"Let's go party, baby!" Moose exclaimed as he placed his arm around Camille. She shook her head and placed hers around his lower back, smiling at what just happened. Two minutes ago, Moose had just kissed her for the first time. Never in her life had she felt more elated. If cloud nine was a trampoline, her heart was hysterically jumping on it right now. She could still feel his lips on hers, and all she wanted to do was kiss him again. Moose looked into her eyes, and she immediately caught the perfectly brown irises staring down into her hazel ones. _Did that really just happen?_

The Pirates went straight to their hideout—a.k.a. the Vault—after bidding Natalie and Luke farewell. They went down to the club, and even though it was still early in the evening, they started to party like it was past midnight. No one else except the gang was there, so the club made for a perfect private party. Suddenly, the entire place was blasting with good dance music. Everyone was moving and doing their own thing, enjoying the mythical evening. Laughter could be faintly heard even through the loud speakers. Cool drinks were being passed around, and soon enough, the place dimmed into colorful neon lights. They yelled and chanted and sang like they've never before while flashes of light were flickering from pictures being taken. Moose, as he obviously would, was occupied with a friendly dance battle against the Santiago twins. "No fair! There's two of you!" He exclaimed. But the twins ignored his call, saying that they were considered one unit. He felt a surge of energy as the twins, in their matching jackets, moved perfectly in synch. He then effortlessly moved his slender body in response, making his curls shake, as the Pirates yelled in amazement. Moose's slight nervousness didn't matter though, 'cause he won the battle anyway.

Camille has been watching Moose the whole time as she danced with the other girls. She laughed as he did something ridiculous and cheered encouragingly whenever he did an awesome dance move. Then, out of nowhere, a random memory quickly passed her mind.

_"I'm over it. You clearly have better things to do."_

She knew that it was something she said to Moose before. _The night he ditched me at the Halloween Party. Of course._ How could she forget? It was painful, that night, but she shook it off. Why was she even thinking about it at a good time like this?

Eventually, she decides to sit down on a bar stool when she finally ran out of breath and felt her hair sticking to her skin. She watched the scene grow wilder and wilder. She couldn't contain her smile. Aside from seeing the people she grew to love dance like crazy, she smiled because she couldn't forget the kiss. She couldn't even if she wanted to, because that's the type of kiss it was. She recalled the feeling of Moose's rough hands on the side of her neck as he closed the gap between their lips. She recalled holding on to the side of his red plaid jacket, getting as close as she possibly could. It replayed over and over in her head. She did not expect it to happen at all. And she didn't exactly see any special signs beforehand. Before they arrived at the train station, everything was perfectly normal. He was the typical funny Moose, her best friend—just best friend—since high school. Then, she wondered, _why exactly did Moose kiss me out of nowhere?_ She bit her lip and nibbled on the inside of her cheek. _Maybe he was just really happy and couldn't contain it? Is it one of those not-thinking-before-acting things? Oh my god. Does he even really like me? _

Moose took a red cup from one of the Ticks and gulped the drink down, hydrating himself. He sighed in relief.

_"So you've been lying to me and ditching me for some secret life?"_

He wiped his wet forehead with the back of his palm, laughing at something that Jason had just whispered to his ear.

_"You haven't exactly been around lately. I couldn't wait forever."_

Soon enough, her head filled with anxiety inducing thoughts. She has begun to overthink again. Her heart was beating quicker by the second. Her bottom lip started to tremble.

She forced out a scoff. _Of course he doesn't like me that way. Why would he? _She saw him hug Anala by the side as he gave Vladd a high five. _He's just that friendly. _Extremely _friendly. What was I thinking?_

_"I don't even matter to you anymore."_

Camille didn't realize the growing heat in her face and the huge lump in her throat until a single tear dropped on the back of her hand. She quickly wiped it away, and looked around to make sure no one noticed. She tried her best to fight back the tears, but she couldn't even hide the fact that she was already sniffling loudly. Scared that the others would hear her, she discreetly exited the club and ran for the doors. Her escape was nearly successful, if not for Jacob, who witnessed her shed a few tears. Soon, Camille heard footsteps follow behind her, and she was positive it was Moose. She progressed into a run, but so did the footsteps.

_"You're right. It's over now."_

"Camille!"

She felt stupid. So stupid. It's bad enough that she's already felt like some mentally ill person who's been laughing just a few minutes ago and is now hysterically crying.

"Camille," he said, grabbing her shoulder. She wouldn't turn around. She didn't want him to see her that way.

"Hey, hey," he cooed, wrapping his arms around her from the back. He kissed her hair and locked her arms beside her waist. He placed his chin in the crook of her neck, making her feel his warm breath under the cold air.

She tried hard to muffle her sobs, but she just physically could not. "Moose," she whimpered, squirming away from his grip. Her voice was shaking.

"Stop. Please stop crying."

She vigorously shook her head. "You were just carried away, Moose," she choked.

His brows furrowed together in confusion. "What?"

"The kiss," she croaked, her voice rising. "It was a mistake."

His forehead wrinkled. He turned her around, making her face him. "Look at me, Cam." He looked frustrated, angry almost. "Do you really think that was just some fluke?"

"What do you think it was, Moose?"

"It's not!"

"Is this another one of your half-hearted decisions? Just like every other choice you've made? 'Cause I don't think I want any of it if that's the case."

"This is what I want right now. _You're_ what I want."

"What about tomorrow? Will you still feel the same way?"

His lips parted. "I want you, Camille. Believe me, it was no mistake. Let that be enough for now. Please."

She scoffed, her shoulders dropping. "Yeah, _for now_. I don't think I want to be a reservation. A fill-in. Wow. I don't even know..." She knew how incomprehensible she seemed. Even she herself could barely understand what she's saying. All of the feelings—the sadness, the hurt, the rejection, the pretend smiles, the jealousy when he would notice another girl—came crashing down. She couldn't hold it all up for much longer. She exhaled heavily, rubbing her eyes. Her gaze froze on his chest. She refused to meet his eye or else she wouldn't be able to say everything she wanted to say. "For years, Moose. I didn't want to say anything because I was scared of getting hurt. Because the people who were supposed to raise me left already. I don't want to be someday left in midair by you, too. Because I knew that if I told you the truth and it doesn't end well, that would be the last of us. I just know. And now that you tell me you feel the same way, I'm more scared than happy that we might lose each other in the process." She covered her face with her palms, trying to wipe her damp skin. She could care less if what she just said didn't make any sense. "I don't want to sound selfish, but I really, really don't like the idea of getting left behind. Again. Especially by you."

He took a step forward. Moose towered over her as he took her hands off of her face. "Then take a risk, Cam. How would you know if you don't try?" He stooped down, looking her straight in the eye. "Do something about it. For the longest time, I didn't realize that someone loved me as much as you do. And now that I realized that, I'm taking action. I'm doing something about it."

He brought his hand to her cheek, gently caressing her skin. His other one was gripping her shoulder in fear that she might run away again. "And just so you know, I'm not going anywhere. I know I left you hanging a lot of times, but that's gonna change from now on."

He touched his thumb with the corner of her mouth. He sighed heavily. "I want to be with you, Cam. So badly. You're the only person who's never given up on me no matter how selfish and ignorant I can be. You're the only one who's ever told me to never give up on my dreams. You're the one who's always there. You're the only one who's made me realize things I've never before. And by doing that, you've made me a better person. I'm in love with you, Camille. And I believe that I always have been in love with you."

"I'm so sorry that I never realized sooner. I should have, I know. But it's crystal clear now. I love you. I really love you, Cam."

Tears started to fall again, but this time, she didn't fight it. All she could do was tremble under his warm embrace. He kissed the crown of her head as she buried herself into his chest, dampening his shirt with her wet tears. He unwrapped his arms from her smaller frame and brought a hand under her chin. He leaned down, and pressed his lips onto hers. His other hand crawled under her jaw and settled there. Her neck craned as she kissed him back, her hands resting on his chest. She didn't anticipate his kisses to get better, but it does, despite the fact that her lips probably tasted like salty sea water at the moment. She gasps for air when he pulls away, and he tucks a lock of her caramel hair behind her ear.

"I'm an idiot for never realizing things 'til now. And I'm sorry that you felt so trapped. But I promise you, you can trust me this time. I'd love to make it up to you, that is, if you'd let me."

She did feel trapped for a long time. It was ironic, because he was the same person she confided in _and_ hid her true feelings from. You could only imagine the burden being lifted off her when she heard the words she'd been waiting for come out of his mouth.

She sighed in between hiccups. "I honestly do trust you, Moose. I think it's myself I can't trust."

"If you trust me, then at least try. Are you willing to try, Cam?"

Her eyes glistened in uncertainty. "I don't know. Are we really gonna do this? What if...?"

"Quit it with the what if's. What's important is we're here now. I promise you. The future is bulletproof, the aftermath is secondary."

A soft chuckle came out of her. Only Moose would quote My Chemical Romance during an emotional conversation.

"We should have done this way back, huh?" He smiled.

She didn't respond, but instead, just stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips on his once more. In that moment, her mind was, finally, perfectly clear of anxiety.

_END OF FLASHBACK_

"What was going on in your head at the time?" She asked, her eyes staring into a crease on the bed sheet. He was already lying down with an arm behind his head. He paused, thinking. "I was scared that nothing I'd say would convince you. I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I wasn't able to talk you into it, you know. We'd only been dating for a few hours!"

Her shoulders jerked up as she snorted. "Honestly? It's kinda ridiculous now that I think of it."

He made a disapproving face, an eyebrow quirking at her. "No it's not. It was... monumental."

She smiled. "Monumental. I like that."

"Essential."

"Imperative."

"A turning point?"

"Climactic."

"Synonyms."

They looked at each other and laughed. Moose pulled her waist and tucked her close beside him. He could smell the familiar scent of the fabric softener on her clothes. She twisted her body, reaching out to brush his bouncy spiral curls. "But I'm glad we had that cheesy depressing moment."

He nodded in agreement, sitting up as he took her hand out of his hair. "Yeah, for sure. At least we had all that anger laid out in front of us at the very beginning, right?"

She grinned. "Right. But oh my god," she chuckled, covering her face in embarrassment. "I swear I was so paranoid and emotional. It was unnecessary."

He scoffed forcefully, his sarcasm seeping out. "Pfftt. No... Well, yeah." She nodded in approval, her eyes rolling. His chin perched on her shoulder as he snaked his hand around her small waist. He really enjoyed these honest conversations. Not everyone took his thoughts as seriously as Camille did, since he is Moose, the happy-go-lucky guy that everybody knew. But with Camille, it was different. Everything was different with her, in a good way.

Most people would just ignore and forget these, like he said, monumental memories, but he thought it was therapeutic to talk about it with Camille, particularly. It made him believe it was real—that it happened—and talking about it kept them sane as a couple. Through these raw conversations, they kept their positions as each other's confidant and best friend. "So. What else do you want to talk about? This is totally like couple's therapy, huh?" He snorted and shrugged casually. "I like it though."

She quirked her eyebrow, grinning slyly. "Well. How about the night of the Halloween party?" For many good and obvious reasons, it's been established that it was the most controversial moment in their relationship. No one needed to relive that.

His eyes widen incredulously, almost protesting. "Wh–"

"You asked me!" She jerked her shoulder up, making his head slightly bounce up.

He shook his head in disbelief as she playfully stuck her tongue out. He rolled his eyes, then he pecked her soft cheek. He couldn't help it. Her face was there, and his lips were there. _Go figure._

"Okay, fine. The Halloween party. Bring it on."

She giggled. "Oh, this is a good one."

* * *

_Good news, everyone! I recently published a new post-Step Up: All In Moosille oneshot entitled "Mad". Check it out if you want to! It would be awesome if you left a comment/review on it. It's also kind of a trial story, meaning if enough people like that kind of Moosille, I just might publish a series just like One Month Later :)_

_here's the link to "Mad", __a Moosille oneshot_ : s/10649994/1/Mad

_Thank you for reading, really. You don't know how happy it makes me knowing that people actually read what I've written. Keep the reviews coming, and til next time! ❤️_


	14. Chapter 14

6:30 PM

_"Sure, he's cute and all. But if he seriously thinks that I'm—"_

"Kristen." Camille stressfully raked her hand through her scalp. "Can you please just focus for a minute? Please. I really need your help here." She took a black pen and readily positioned her hand on a notebook.

_"Oh, sorry. Okay, what was that again?"_

"This one item in the book. I've been working around it all night but I still I don't understand how you get that answer."

_"Simple. See that second to the last number in the third one? Take that, then get the cube root of the fourth—" _She paused. _"You follow?"_

"Waitwaitwait. You're going too fast." She sighed, tucking her light brown hair behind her ear. A finger scratched her temple. "Can't you just come over here?"

_"No! I don't want to imagine what kind of dirty things you and and your boyfriend have done in your room."_

"We're _not_ like that, for your information."

_"Now I'm sure someone who does things like that would _definitely _say something like that."_

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, when an abrupt knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Whatever, Kristen. I gotta go."

Camille climbed over her bed, irritated by Kristen's judgmentality. _Just because she's seen us literally sleep together one time._ She frustratedly straightened out her shirt and twisted the doorknob open. It was Mike, Moose's classmate from dance, standing at the door. Beside him was Moose himself, whose arm was slung around the taller boy's shoulder for support. Her boyfriend simply gave her a crooked grin. She furrowed her brows in confusion, then her eyes trailed down, and there it was.

Moose's left foot was wrapped in elastic bandages.

"Oh my god. What happened?"

Mike slowly led him into the room as Moose tried his best to keep up. Mike stooped down so that the curly-haired boy could sit down on the bed. Camille scuttled and dragged her swivel chair in front of Moose's legs as she helped him prop his foot up.

"I hope you don't mind me barging in, Cam."

"Of course not."

"Just so you know, Camille, I insisted on bringing him to his _own_ room. Where he hardly ever sleeps in." He removed Moose's arm from his neck. He brought his hands to his waist like a scolding dad. "I don't know why you even got one, dude."

Moose shrugged defensively. "What? Camille's presence alone makes me feel better."

She smiled bashfully at his cheesiness as Mike shook his head in disapproval. "No, Mike. It's fine." She turned to Moose, her eyes filled with concern. "How did this happen?"

"It's nothing, really," he said with utmost confidence. Mike plainly gave Moose a dirty look. "It's not nothing, Camille. He landed on his foot wrong while showing off a new stunt in class. But he'll be fine. We already took him to the nurse."

She bit her lip. "How long until he could dance again?"

"He'll be up and running in a week, no problem," Mike said.

Camille looked down on his feet, observing the way it's tightly wrapped. "Okay. So should I ice his foot or anything?"

Mike's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, that reminds me." He reached behind him and dug through his bag, handing her a piece of paper and a purple ice pack. "The nurse wrote down some instructions. Just follow that and he'll be good in no time."

Camille nodded. "Thanks, Mike." She sighed and mumbled, "He shouldn't have been monkeying around."

Moose frowned, quite irked that they're talking as if he wasn't there. "Hello? Still in the room, just saying."

"You brought this on yourself, dude," Mike chuckled. Camille sighed. "Thank you again, Mike. Seriously."

"No worries. Just call if you need any help." He took a step backwards. "Get well soon, man," he said before finally shutting the door.

Camille plopped down on the bed beside him, exhaling. "You should have been more careful, Moose. Thank god it's just a sprain."

"Cam. I'm bound to get a sprain. I go to school to dance." He awkwardly reached for the zipper of his hoodie, but it got caught on his bracelet in the process. Camille helped him yank it off, chuckling quietly. She assisted him as he shrugged the striped jacket off of his body, leaving him in a thin white v-neck shirt.

"And that's exactly why you should be more careful. The dancing part, I mean."

"Okay, mom. I'm sorry. Won't happen again."

She glowered at him and forcefully slapped his arm, making him chuckle. _She's so cute when she's pissed_. "I'm serious, Moose. I know I'm being too hard on you, but I'm not the one who sprained an ankle for doing careless stunts."

He shook his head arrogantly, winking an eye. "Don't worry about it, Cam. But the fact is we're dancers. We practically live for injuries. You know how it is."

"Sure," she muttered. He grinned lopsidedly, teasing her. The apples of his cheeks rose up along with the corners of his mouth. The pinkish surface of his lips looked extremely soft, she thought. "Stop that," she sternly said, conscious that she might smile involuntarily. She was not about to give him the satisfaction.

"What?"

"Stop giving me that look."

"What?" His voice rose up, genuinely dumbfounded by what's happening.

"You're giving me your go-ahead-don't-be-afraid-to-kiss-my-soft-lips face."

He snorted. "They're not that soft."

"They look like they are," she softly said, slightly quirking her brow.

"Then kiss me," he urged.

"But I'm supposed to be annoyed at you."

"Then the kiss will make it all go away."

She laughed, giving in. Finally, she leaned in and crashed her mouth into his. It was indeed just as soft as it looked. Her hand rested comfortably on his chest. He smiled in satisfaction. "Do you feel better now, Cammpphpm—" Her desperate kiss cut him off. She grinned as she locked his lips with hers, burying her fingers in his curls before he could speak another word.

—

Camille paced around the room while reading the nurse's note. Her fingers rested on her chin, thinking. "So the nurse says that we must ice your foot for 15 to 20 minutes, three to five times a day for the first three days of the injury."

Moose stressfully puffed out a breath. "Complicated. This should be fun."

"The foot must be elevated above heart level as much as possible."

"Nice," he said, lying down on the bed with his arms under his head.

She paused. "Also, you must take some pain relievers."

"Awesome!"

She chuckled, amused by his positivity even though his foot—his holy grail—is temporarily useless. "Why are you so casual about this?"

"It's just a sprained ankle. I'm pretty sure I'll be okay."

"This is your feet we're talking about Moose. The things you use to dance on. I don't know if you're familiar with those?"

Her sarcasm cracked him up. "I think you're thinking of this way too negatively. Look at the bright side!"

She sat beside him, dropping her shoulders. "And what do you think is the bright side of all this, Moose?"

He slowly pulled his body upwards. He put a finger up, enumerating the pros of the situation. "Inactivity. Which means I could stay in bed all day for a whole week. Number two: elevators. Number three: crutches." He held his hands up and dropped his jaw in amazement. "Cool, right? And four: no dance classes. This time, I could actually fully concentrate on schoolwork without any part of my body tapping out of nowhere."

Camille shook her head in disbelief. Of course Moose would think that sprained ankles and crutches are cool. "Your dancing _is_ your schoolwork. I know it doesn't feel like it is, but you gotta think of it like that."

He beamed, his canines peaking out. "Since when did you become my mother, Cam?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "Whenever you keep messing around—which is all the time." She grabbed the ice pack from her bedside table and went to the fridge to fill it with ice cubes. She tossed it into the air and caught it as it landed in her hand. "Ice time, Moose." She kneeled down beside him and began to compress his foot with the pack, making sure to hit every sore spot.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's alright."

He squirmed in discomfort. His thick blue jeans made his leg feel even more uncomfortable being propped up. Camille noticed it right away. "Do you wanna change your pants?"

He blinked. "I don't have some."

She left the ice pack on his calf. She walked to her closet, opening her top drawer. Her hands dug in and pulled out two pairs of sweatpants—one black, the other blue. "Color?" She asked nonchalantly. He shook his head and parted his lips in surprise. "Have you been stealing my clothes? You sneaky chameleon."

She shrugged, grinning as she tossed him the blue pair. "You practically live in my room, Moose. In case you haven't noticed." He froze momentarily, staring at the long pants. She raised her eyebrows. "You gonna change?"

"Um, sure," he grunted. He fumbled for his belt and zipper, carefully unbuttoning and pulling the jeans down as to not hurt his foot. Surprisingly, it's difficult to take your pants off while sitting down. He chuckled as he caught her looking at him as he stripped down to his boxers. "You're staring."

She rolled her eyes. "Please. You're saying that _now_?" She snorted. When he finished changing, she sat down beside his feet again, pressing ice to his injury.

Moose reached over. "Let me do it, Cam. I'm not disabled you know."

"You kinda are. Let's be real," she chuckled.

"You're making me feel guilty," he frowned.

"You're injured, alright? Just let me take care of you."

Moose dropped his shoulders, grinning although defeated. Camille sometimes treats him like a little boy. It made him feel insecure, to be perfectly honest. It's not that she couldn't trust him with simple things, but it's just that he doesn't want her to feel like he's a responsibility she needs to attend to. She's his girlfriend, not his babysitter.

"Just this once, alright?"

—

After a while, they ended up silently lying down on her bed. Camille was resting on his chest while his arm was behind her head, acting as her pillow. A sweet, thoughtful, funny, talented, slender, curly-haired pillow. Meanwhile, Moose's sprained foot was very creatively—and resourcefully—elevated on top of stacked blankets and textbooks. They stared at the TV as they did so, casually watching a Harry Potter movie since it was conveniently on for some reason.

Camille soon felt the exhaustion catch up to her. She didn't get much sleep the night before due to attempting to study the chapters she didn't quite understand. Above all that, her stubbornness wouldn't allow her to ask help from anyone, resulting to two measly hours of rest. Giving Kristen a call was her final cry of desperation. _It would have been easier if Kristen was a little more helpful, though_. She shook it off. It didn't matter anymore. At this point, all she could think about was getting some decent sleeping hours.

Once the credits rolled, Moose glanced down on Camille to find her soundly asleep. _Already?_ It was only 8 in the evening. They usually slept at around ten. He chuckled to himself. Then, as he heard his stomach angrily rumble, he realized that they haven't had any dinner. _Shoot_. He carefully and gently slid his arm from under her head, making sure not to disturb her. While dragging the swivel chair for support, he slowly but surely limped to the pseudo kitchen, trying to find something to eat. _This is probably dangerous, but whatever._ Like an old man, he slowly bent down as he opened the mini fridge. Baby carrots, sliced bread, hummus, lettuce, milk, eggs, turkey meat. Stumped, he scratched the back of his head. Unlike Camille, he couldn't cook for his life. Thankfully, he found instant cup noodles lying around in her cupboard along with some cereals and a few canned goods. He turned on the electric kettle as he sat down, waiting for the water to boil. Once the kettle automatically stopped, he opened the cups and poured hot water into them, letting it do its magic. While waiting for the noodles to be edible enough, he limped again with the swivel chair by his side. He sat down on the bed, gently nudging Camille's shoulder. "Hey," he whispered. "Awake yet, Cam? Dinner's ready." _Barely_.

She opened her eyes, startled and disoriented. "What time is it?"

"I made some instant noodles. I coulda whipped up some turkey sandwiches, but I'd rather not attempt to cook and feed you raw meat."

She chuckled. "Thank you." She raked a hand through her hair as she sat up and sighed loudly. "Sorry. I should have been the one looking after you."

"Please, Camille. At this level of sleep deprivation, you're just as injured as I am." He smiled crookedly. "I know," she exhaled, grinning as she shook her hair to the side. She stood up to get forks and the cups full of curly noodles from the little kitchen counter. She handed him the other one before she sat down.

Then, she raised the cup above her head as if giving a toast. "To sprained ankles and sleep deprived noodles!"

He burst out in laughter. "To sprained ankles and sleep deprived noodles. 'Til the very end of college."

* * *

_Another piece of good news, everyone! I've finally published a post-Step Up All In series called Nothing Will Change. It's very much like One Month Later, only that Moose and Camille have matured and are currently living together in LA. Yay for more lovely Moosille action :p Check it out!_

_Again, I could not thank you enough for reading! (You're prob sick of hearing this lol). Until next time ❤️_


	15. Chapter 15

"_Where are we going_?"

"You'll see in a bit."

"_I feel ridiculous_," Camille huffed, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder as she locked her gold bracelet around her wrist.

"You should not. I bet you look amazing." He slipped on his black jacket and bunched up the sleeves. "C'mon, just go with it."

"_Moose_," she chuckled nervously. "_What are you up to now_?"

He knowingly grinned. "Something great. Obviously," he said. Moose buttoned his jacket close and quickly ruffled his dark curls. He looked handsome and formal in his jacket and olive pants, but his sneakers tied the whole look together. Like always, he had something planned for Camille again, and he couldn't wait. He strongly believed that it would be the best he's done so far. "Are you ready to go?"

"_Yeah, I am_."

"'Kay. Be there in a minute," he said as he hung up.

Camille opened her door as soon as she heard Moose knock. As he shut the door quietly, he gaped in awe, and he found it hard to take his eyes off of her. "Woah," he murmured. His jaw softened as he took her in, and his hands rubbed the back of his neck in his complete loss for words. Her long strapless orange maxi dress, dancing and swaying as she moved, gave her a goddess-like glow. Her long hair, which was now dyed close to blonde, was in a graceful low side braid. Camille smiled shyly, the tops of her cheekbones shimmering.

She lightly chuckled and flared the long skirt, exposing her golden sandals. "The thing's super bright, I know," she shrugged. "But it's the closest thing I have to a formal dress."

He smiled, his brows lifting up. "It's perfect." He reached for her small hand and brought it up to his lips. In return, she blushed as she felt his lips brush her skin like a feather. Even after all this time, he still manages to make her feel fluttery inside, and it made no sense to Camille how that still happens.

She parted her lips as she broke Moose's trance. He didn't let go of her hand just yet. "So," she exhaled. "What's on the agenda?"

His face lit up as if remembering something, and he let her hand go. "I have something to ask you first." He pulled his pants up, then he knelt down on one knee, much to Camille's surprise. Her eyebrows quirked up and her mouth parted open. _What_. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a corsage as he looked up. He sighed loudly for dramatic effect.

"Camille Gage, will you be my prom date?"

She just rolled her eyes and threw her head back in laughter. For a moment, her heart stopped, then she was able to breathe again. She just never knew what to expect from him these days. "Moose," she chuckled, clapping her palm to her forehead. "What are you doing? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I'm asking you to prom!" He laughed, finding it funny how he gave her a shock. It was insensitive, but it was for, again, dramatic effect. "So. Will you go with me?"

Her head shook in disbelief, but of course she would said yes. "What are you talking about? We're not in high school, in case you haven't already noticed. You're two years late."

He abruptly stood up, making an arrogant, righteous face. "High school prom is so mainstream."

"Says the guy asking me to prom," she said, tilting her head to the side. A corner of her lips lifted up as she folded her arms together.

He shook his head, though a smile was tugging at his lips. "Just go with it, Cam."

"Fine," she chuckled. Camille lifted her wrist in front of Moose, her eyes looking up at him. He quickly glanced down then up as his mouth parted. "Is that a yes?" Without waiting for an answer, he fastened the corsage on her wrist. He couldn't help but smile, breathing in deeply as the fresh floral scent reached his nostrils.

As soon as he finished tying the ribbon, she stood on her toes, her delicate fingers on his jawline, and gently pressed her lips against his. "As long as we're not crashing a high school dance, I'm okay with it."

—

A shiny black car was waiting for them downstairs, and immediately when Camille noticed it, her face curiously lit up. Moose protectively placed his hand around her waist, leading her to the back seat. When they both settled down, the blue eyed, perfectly jawlined driver looked behind him and politely tipped his pilot hat. She looked at the man blankly, then smiled in amusement as he recognized him. "Vladd?" Robotically, he waved his hand in acknowledgement. "Thanks again man," Moose said, wrapping his arm around Camille's bare shoulder. He leaned back and glanced down. "You okay?" She nodded, laying her head comfortably between his neck and chest.

When they arrived at the venue, Camille seemed pleased and quite relieved that the "prom" is happening at the Vault. He just shrugged at her as if saying, _Where else?_ As they entered, Moose gently cupped her eyes with one hand, blinding her. "Don't worry, this is just for dramatic effect," he said before she could even protest. He was holding her hand with his free one as he guided her from the back. "Careful," he said, aware that she was in her high heels.

Although her vision was deliberately blocked, she could definitely feel the atmosphere change. He removed his hand from her face, and as she looked up, she immediately saw the huge banner that occupied the wall. It was a drawing of a moose and a chameleon with hearts floating around them. Her eyebrows raised, chuckling in amusement. Although it was the cutest thing, it was still ridiculous. And she loved it so much. "Happy anniversary," he breathed to her neck. He sighed loudly. "Wow. It feels so good to say that."

Camille's first reaction was to drop her jaw in amazement. The club was convincingly decorated like a fancy ballroom. Tables were covered with silky tablecloths. Swirly columns were standing on each corner, and blue fabrics hung from the ceiling. It looked like sky blue icing on a cake. Then she snapped out of it and took a step back at what he just said. She parted her lips in surprise and turned around to face him.

"It's been a year? Seriously?"

He let out a laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck in relief. "You really didn't know? I thought you'd be furious by now!" He purposely didn't greet her this morning just to see how she'd react. Amazingly enough, she didn't say anything at all. _Because she really had no idea_.

She grinned sheepishly, a little ashamed that she didn't take note of their anniversary. "I never really thought about it," she said. Honestly, she thought that they weren't that kind of couple. It's not that she wasn't taking their relationship seriously, but she just felt like it was something superficial, and that their relationship was beyond that. She sighed, smiling. She stood on her toes and slowly pressed her lips on his for the second time that evening. "But thank you, Moose. You're the sweetest. And happy anniversary to you, too."

Minutes later, the Pirates appeared from upstairs one by one, also wearing formal wear. Greetings and hugs were exchanged, then soon enough, everybody was dancing. You would think that the dresses and suits would limit their dance moves, but for some reason, it didn't. Camille laughed at that.

The fast, bass heavy music eventually died down, and was replaced by a sweet slow ballad. Immediately, Moose's hands found its way to her waist, and Camille's hands coiled around his neck. Mild tremors went down Moose's back as her tiny fingers tickled his nape and twisted his curls.

"Moose?"

"Yeah?"

She paused, then smiled weakly. "Nothing."

"What?" His eyes widened in curiosity.

"Really, it's nothing," she chuckled, then stepped closer so she could rest her head on the crook of his neck, facing him. Her hands slid down to his lapels as Moose held her tighter to his body.

"I love you so much, Cam. Do you know that?" Moose said softly, although she could hear a playfulness to his tone. "I don't think you have an idea just how much."

She chuckled, looking up at him. "Oh, I think I do." She wrapped her hands around his neck again, pulling him close, then crashed her lips to his. _Number three_, he thought. He's been keeping count of her kisses for the night, but he wasn't gonna admit that.

"I love you, too, Moose. You don't even know."

—

Moose twisted and twirled Camille's light, free flowing hair in the dark hallway.

"Tonight was awesome," he said, sniffing the tips of her locks.

She tilted her head. "Thanks to you."

He sighed sadly, upset that the night was over. "So." He tucked a stray strand away from her face. "See you in the morning?"

"No." She lightly grabbed his arm, pulling him closer. "You can stay."

His face immediately lit up. "Okay. I can do that."

When he shut the door, Camille motioned to his jacket, wanting to take it off for him. "Can I?" He looked like he was too warm and uncomfortable in it. As she slid it off his arms, a grateful smile appeared on his face. She then hung the jacket up on the back of her door. His white polo shirt was damp with sweat, so he took that off too. Automatically, Camille tossed him a white sleep shirt and sweatpants. He practically lived in her room that he even has his own set of extra clothes there. That's love.

Not much changes were done to Camille's room. It was the same light yellow scrapbook-esque room, but this time, the pictures lessened. Moose smiled, stroking a picture of him and Camille in MSA. "This is just precious," he chuckled. Camille stood beside him, her arms wrapped around herself. "Time flies incredibly fast," she said. "I can't believe it's been a year."

He chuckled, facing her. "I'm just thankful that you were able to put up with me."

She shook her head, laughing. "You're alright," she teased. "It's so weird to say that it's our anniversary, though."

His brows bunched up, staring at her glowing face. "It is, huh? But it's there," he said. "It's been real, Cam."

"It has been the best year so far. I can tell you that much," she replied, cupping his cheek and stroking his jawline. Her hands played with his chin, but then she felt an unfamiliar sharpness under her thumb. "You're growing a beard."

He smirked. "You like it?"

She tilted her head to the side, as if seriously contemplating. "I don't know yet. I love your baby smooth face." He rolled his eyes. _Baby face_. He got that from everyone, and it made him sick already. He was almost twenty, not ten and a half.

"But I have to admit, the beard's kinda sexy."

His brows cocked up. "Sexy, huh? Maybe I should grow it out for you." He towered over her, pulling her body close. She laughed and held on to his waist. Lifting her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers. "Strawberries," he murmured. She moved closer, encouraging him to kiss her more. And so he did. _Number four._

"Moose?"

"Yeah?"

She paused, then sighed heavily. "Another year, okay? Think we can do that?"

He smiled, showing off his canines. "Of course we can, Cam. We could do ten more, if that's what you want."

She chuckled. "That would be wonderful."

—

_I know I've been gone for ten thousand years, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D I couldn't just leave you guys behind, so here I am haha._

_Thank you for reading, and until next time. _❤️


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